Andalasia High School
by Meg Rider
Summary: Join Disney characters as they go through their Junior year of High School. Better description on profile.
1. Chapter 1

Meg dragged her feet into the gym. It was the first day back to school after Christmas Break and Principal Clayton was holding an assembly to welcome everyone back and talk about the upcoming events for the semester. Meg showed up early so she could avoid having to make her way through the crowd. She walked up the bleachers and sat down in the back corner. The rest of the students slowly started pouring in, talking excitedly about what they did over break. Meg rolled her eyes and slouched down. A group of cheerleaders gathered in front of the doors. They were talking loudly and Meg fought to keep from throwing one of her textbooks at them. Suddenly the doors flew open and someone pushed through the group of girls. They squealed and jumped back. Meg laughed to herself as her best friend, Hades, made his way up the bleachers. Hades was undoubtedly the meanest guy in school, and had been since junior high; which was how he earned the nickname Hades. No one remembered his real name.

"Nice," Meg said, nodding towards the cheerleaders.

Hades shrugged then leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. Meg didn't really like Hades, she was just using him. At the beginning of the school year a new student, Hercules, started attending Andalasia High School. He was strong and athletic, and easily landed the quarterback position on the football team. He led the team to victory game after game and quickly became the most popular guy in school. Every girl had been crazy about him, including Meg. She started dating Hercules and soon she was popular, too.

Everything was perfect until Homecoming. Naturally, Meg went to the dance with Hercules, but her girlfriends kept pulling her away from him so they could all dance together. When the dance ended, Meg went to look for Hercules. She couldn't find him anywhere in the gym. He drove her to the dance, so she decided to wait for him by his car. When she approached the car, Meg caught Hercules hooking up the head cheerleader in the backseat. Hercules did not care at all that he had hurt Meg. He said it was her fault for holding out on him. "Guys have needs," he had said. "And their girlfriends have to fulfill those needs, or we'll find another girl who will."

By the following Monday, everyone knew what happened. Hercules was now a legend, a hero, among the other guys at school and, for some reason, the girls still found him irresistibly good-looking and charming. But, everyone started treating Meg differently. The guys would call her crude names and laugh. The girls all pitied her and gossiped about her behind her back. Meg was now the center of negative attention. She wanted it to stop, so she befriended Hades and started hanging out with him. Everyone was afraid of Hades, and Meg knew if she was associated with him then no one would bother her, or even talk to her. She preferred it that way.

Principal Clayton started his speech and droned on for a while. Then a blonde senior approached the stadium. Helga Sinclair: beautiful, mysterious, sexy, tough, and the head cheerleader. She started gushing about the championship football game and the team, though she focused most of her praise on Hercules. The champion game had been two months ago, and Meg wished everyone would drop it. Helga called Hercules up to the podium and everyone cheered as he ran up to it. He pumped everyone up even more when he announced he would bring the wrestling team to victory, as well. Hercules then wrapped his arm around Helga and kissed her cheek. Meg gagged.

_XXX_

Rapunzel stood in front of the entrance to her first period History class with fellow cheerleader, Giselle.

"Wasn't Helga great this morning?" Rapunzel gushed. "She really knows how to get a crowd pumped up!"

"She _is_ head cheerleader," Giselle said.

Rapunzel's eyes lit up. "I want to be head cheerleader next year _so_ bad. I've been doing extra training, and really putting in my best effort. Do you think Helga has noticed?"

Giselle smiled. "I'm sure she has. No one on the squad works harder than you do."

Before Rapunzel could respond, someone came up behind them and cleared their throat. Rapunzel turned around was face-to-face with Meg.

"Do you always have to block the entrances?" Meg muttered as she pushed her way between them and went into the classroom.

Rapunzel shrugged off Meg's negative energy and walked into the classroom as well. Meg plopped down at a desk in the back. Rapunzel smiled at her, but Meg only narrowed her eyes at her. Giselle had chosen a desk in the front row and Rapunzel sat down next to her. She was glad to have Mr. Thatch for History again this semester; his teaching methods were more unconventional than the other teachers. Every lesson felt like they were going on an adventure back in time. Mr. Thatch stumbled into the classroom, struggling with books and papers. Rapunzel quickly got up and helped him carry some of his stuff to his desk. He smiled at her and thanked her. She said you're welcome and eagerly returned to her desk. Mr. Thatch began his lesson and Rapunzel started writing everything down with her purple gel pen. (Why the gel pen craze died out, she had no idea.) When the bell rang, everyone gathered up their stuff and made their way out to the hallway. Rapunzel stayed behind and went up to Mr. Thatch.

"That was a _great_ lesson, Mr. Thatch," she beamed. "I look forward to tomorrow's class."

Mr. Thatch once again thanked her. She smiled brightly at him, and then headed to her second period math class with Mr. Crane.

_XXX_

Ariel got to her math class early and chose a seat in one of the center rows, but off to the side. Math was definitely not her strong subject and she wanted to stay out Mr. Crane's line of vision so he wouldn't randomly call on her to answer a question. Rapunzel walked into the classroom and quickly waved at Ariel before taking a seat in the front row. Ariel's best friend, Charlotte, was on the cheerleading squad with Rapunzel, and Ariel would sometimes go to the practices after school to watch to support her best friend. Ariel and Rapunzel would greet each other if they saw each other in the hall or had a class together, but they weren't necessarily friends.

Mr. Crane closed the door as soon as the bell rang, and promptly started class. He had a very monotone voice, and Ariel almost immediately started spacing out. She couldn't wait for school to be over so she could go to choir. Today they would be getting the new music for the next choir concert and Ariel was excited to see what songs Mrs. Rabbit had selected. The only thing Ariel was not looking forward to was the duet. Ariel was one of the best singers in choir, along with Snow White. Snow White was very confident in her singing and always got the solos. Snow White was a beautiful singer, but the choir director thought Ariel was more talented than Snow White. Mrs. Rabbit always encouraged Ariel to go for the solos, but Ariel was too shy. So, Mrs. Rabbit always partnered Ariel up with Snow White for a duet. She hoped it would relax Ariel and give her the confidence to sing a solo. So far, it had not worked, but Mrs. Rabbit would not give up on Ariel.

Ariel felt self conscious around Snow White. Snow White was one of those girls who were always nice and super sweet to everyone; but, she was also very competitive. Whenever Ariel sang with her, Snow White made her feel small. Mrs. Rabbit insisted it was because Snow White knew Ariel was a better singer and felt threatened by her. Ariel wasn't sure if she believed that, but either way Snow White was good at keeping Ariel down a peg.

The bell rang, bringing Ariel out of her trance. She scooped up all of her stuff and ducked out of the classroom.

_XXX_

Esmeralda drummed her fingers on her desk as she studied the notes Mr. Thatch had left up on the dry erase board. She decided she better start writing it all down now. She really liked her History class, but her mind always wandered and she had trouble focusing on anything. Esmeralda reached into her backpack, and realized she forgot all of her History stuff. Luckily her locker was just across the hall from the classroom. She got up and quickly hurried out the door. In her haste, Esmeralda ran into Ariel, knocking her stuff on the floor.

"I'm sorry," Esmeralda said, as she helped Ariel pick up her stuff.

Esmeralda fumbled with her lock; she couldn't remember the combination. After a couple attempts, she finally got it right. She grabbed a pen off the top shelf and wrote the combination on the palm of her hand. Just then the bell rang. Esmeralda threw the pen back in her locker, grabbed her History notebook and textbook, slammed the locker shut and ran back into the classroom. Mr. Thatch was busy trying to organize his desk and didn't notice Esmeralda come in late. She sighed in relief and sank down in her seat. Not that it would have mattered if he had seen her. Mr. Thatch always said that within five minutes is still on time and never marked anyone tardy, unless they were more than five minutes late.

Esmeralda quickly copied down the notes, and then let herself start daydreaming. It was cut short, however, when someone tapped on her shoulder. She turned around and was greeted with a smile by Naveen. Naveen was a senior, but failed History last year and had to retake it this year.

"Hey, Esmeralda," Naveen whispered. "My parents will be out late tonight. Do you wanna come over for a little bit?"

Esmeralda smiled at him. "Sure."

Naveen winked at her and she turned back around. Esmeralda didn't really know Naveen very well. She hooked up with him once after a football game, but that was as the extent of their relationship. Over the past summer, Esmeralda's body fully developed. She had a new confidence. She could suddenly get guys to do anything she wanted and she loved it. Of course, after a while, guys started expecting her to sleep with them. Esmeralda was flattered that all the guys wanted her. Afraid that would change, she started sleeping around. Esmeralda was surprised to find she actually enjoyed it. Of course, rumors started to spread. The other girls at the school said Esmeralda had a bad reputation, but she didn't care what they thought. She liked sex, and she was not ashamed of it. In fact, she had become really good friends with some of the guys she slept with, and they looked out for her.

When class ended, Naveen walked Esmeralda to the cafeteria, and bought her lunch. She thanked him, and joined her best friend, Jasmine, at their usual table.

_XXX_

Jasmine said a quick hello to Esmeralda, then went back to her drawing.

"What are you working on?" Esmeralda asked, taking a bite of her pizza.

"Sketching some ideas for the new dance costumes."

Esmeralda raised an eyebrow. "Sketching? Jasmine, you can't even draw stick people…"

Jasmine sighed. "I know. I'm just getting the ideas out. I'll find someone who can actually do the sketches and make the costumes. Do you know anyone who can do that?"

"I think that cheerleader, Giselle, designs her own clothes."

Jasmine nodded. She continued drawing, and absent-mindedly stabbed at her salad. This year Jasmine was chosen as Dance Team Captain. It was the first time in the history of Andalasia High School that a senior was not chosen. The Dance Team was good, but had never won a competition. Jasmine was determined to prove herself to everyone, and help the team finally win. They didn't really need new costumes, but Jasmine thought they could use a new look. She wanted to completely transform the team. Jasmine and Esmeralda both joined the team freshman year, and everything was still exactly the same; same routines, same costumes, same music.

"Hey, Jasmine!"

Jasmine looked up, closing her notebook. A guy she didn't recognize winked at her. She smiled at him and winked back. Jasmine had a similar body type to Esmeralda and got a lot of attention from guys as well. But, unlike Esmeralda, Jasmine was still a virgin. She was waiting for the right guy. However, Jasmine liked the attention, too. So, in order to keep the attention and not have to actually sleep with anyone, she told them she only hooks up with college guys. Esmeralda was the only one in the whole school who knew the truth.

Suddenly, a paper airplane hit Esmeralda in the side of the head. She picked it up and read the message inside. She laughed and held it up so Jasmine could see it. The word "Slut" was written in big pink letters.

"I don't know why these girls are so negative when it comes to sex. They're all gonna do it eventually. I just got a head start." Esmeralda crumpled up the paper and set it on her lunch tray.

The bell rang then. Jasmine threw away her uneaten salad and headed to her fourth period History class.

_XXX_

Pocahontas walked into her History class a couple minutes late. All the seats were taken except one next to Jasmine. She quickly took her seat and smiled at Jasmine. Jasmine smiled back at her. Mr. Thatch started his lesson a few minutes later. He started writing notes on the board, but was interrupted by a girl sitting in the front row. At first, Pocahontas didn't recognize the girl, but when she started talking her high-pitched voice gave her away. Snow White. Pocahontas did not like her at all. Snow White had a false kindness, but really looked down on everyone. Pocahontas didn't like when someone thought they were better other people. She believed that all living things were equal: people, trees, animals. That's why she got a job at the local animal shelter. Pocahontas fought for the defenseless. She spent all of her free time protecting and helping animals.

Pocahontas' best friend, Sally, also worked at the shelter. Sally was the sweetest person anyone could ever meet. But because Sally dressed like-what most high school students would label as- a goth, she was misunderstood and a lot of the students were afraid of her. Pocahontas' boyfriend, John Smith, used to be a little hesitant about Sally as well. But, recently, Sally really helped out John's half brother, Thomas, by getting him a job at the animal shelter with them. Since then John has become a lot more relaxed around her.

Pocahontas opened her History book and started reading the chapter. Mr. Thatch was a great teacher, but sometimes he could be kinda scatter-brained and would go off on tangents, especially when someone interrupted him (like Snow White had been doing all period), so it was hard to understand his lessons.

Pocahontas finished the chapter before Mr. Thatch finished his lesson. She pulled out her schedule and groaned silently when she saw she had math next period. She hated math more than any other subject and Mr. Crane liked to randomly call on students who he knew didn't know the answer. She hoped Belle would be in her class. Belle always raised her hand before he could get a chance to pick on someone. Plus, she would take her own notes, instead of his, and hers were always easier to understand.

The bell rang, and Pocahontas slowly walked down the hall praying that Belle would be in her math class.

_XXX_

Mr. Crane droned on as he wrote on the board. He very rarely turned around to address the class, and Belle was glad. She really wasn't in the mood for math. Belle started tutoring after school last semester and had been completely booked. This semester she had more students signed up and she needed figure out a way to fit them all in, and still have time to do her own homework.

Pocahontas passed Belle a note.

_Belle, can I copy your notes in study hall next period?_

Belle wrinkled her nose. She forgot all about having to take notes. She pulled out her notebook and quickly started taking notes on what Mr. Crane had on the board. Belle didn't know why Mr. Crane always had to make things more difficult than they actually were. Most of the students who came to Belle for tutoring needed help with Mr. Crane's math homework.

Belle was lucky that she was a fast learner; it was how she was able to earn money tutoring. Everyone thought she was really smart because she read a lot, but that wasn't true. Belle mostly read novels about fantasy and adventure. She didn't just study all the time, contrary to popular belief. She learned things quickly as they were being taught to her and she could simplify it for other people. Once she had a test on something, she forgot it all. She had to stay up late cramming for finals just like everybody else. She wasn't like her fellow tutors Jane Porter and Tiana. They were both wicked smart and competing for valedictorian.

Belle's best friend, Aurora, was really smart, too. But, she spent more time rehearsing for school plays than on homework, so she was getting average grades. But, in all honesty, sometimes Aurora had to explain stuff to Belle. Belle figured Aurora just memorized her books like she memorized play scripts. Belle smiled to herself as she pictured her best friend reading a textbook with her memorizing look on her face; her left eyebrow raised, while she bit the right side of her bottom lip.

When class ended, Belle rushed out of the classroom to meet up with Aurora for last period study hall.

_XXX_

Aurora and Belle walked into the study hall area. It wasn't a big room, only about thirty desks and they were set on tiers. Aurora led Belle up to a couple desks in the top row, so she could see who came in. Belle immediately pulled out some of her homework. Aurora leaned forward and rested her chin in her palm. She didn't bring any homework with her. She preferred to get her work done at home and use study hall to socialize. Their study hall teacher was Miss Kida. Miss Kida was a very laid back teacher and let everyone do whatever they wanted, as long as it didn't break any school rules. Miss Kida was married to Mr. Thatch, but she didn't want anyone to really associate her with him (in case they would think she was as flighty as him), so she wanted to be addressed by her first name. Principal Clayton thought it was disrespectable for students to call teachers by their first names, so she had everyone call her _Miss_ Kida.

Aurora sat up and smiled as her boyfriend of two years, Philip, walked into the study hall. He was talking to his best friend, Eric, and didn't see her at first. But when he did see her, he smiled at her and ran up the tiers to her. He leaned over her desk and kissed her, then took the seat in front of her. Eric joined them, sitting down in front of Belle. Belle barely glanced up as they both greeted her.

When Aurora saw Ariel walk in, she called her over. Ariel smiled and took the seat on the other side of Aurora. Aurora and Ariel usually met up in the music room after choir and drama club to practice together.

Aurora grabbed Ariel's hand. "_Please_ tell me you know what the spring musical is gonna be."

Ariel look confused. "How would I know that?"

"Because you're Mrs. Rabbit's favorite student."

Ariel blushed. "I'm not-"

"Yes you are!" Aurora said, excitedly.

"Well, I don't know what it is. But I'll ask her today in choir."

Aurora smiled at her. "Thank you so much, Ariel."

_A/N: Sorry this was so long, I just wanted to get all the main characters introduced in the first chapter. Of course, I don't own any of the characters in this story._


	2. Chapter 2

Ariel was the first one in the choir room after school. Mrs. Rabbit was stacking black folders on top the piano in the front of the room. She looked up when Ariel walked in and greeted her with a big smile.

"Welcome back, Ariel!" Mrs. Rabbit said.

Ariel went over to the piano. "Hi, Mrs. Rabbit."

"Ariel, would you mind helping me pass out these folders? Just set one on every chair." Mrs. Rabbit picked up half the folders and started passing them out on one side of the room.

Ariel picked up the other half and started on the other side. Snow White walked in then and looked disappointed when she saw she wasn't the first one in the room.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Rabbit," Snow White greeted cheerily. "Ariel."

"Hello," Ariel muttered. Mrs. Rabbit didn't say anything.

"Do you need any help?" Snow White asked.

"No thank you, Snow White," Mrs. Rabbit said. "Ariel is really helping me out a lot."

Snow White took a seat in the front row of the soprano section. When Ariel was done, she had a couple extra folders and brought them back over to the piano.

"How was your break, Ariel?" Mrs. Rabbit asked, taking the extra folders.

"Oh, it was a lot of fun. We had the whole family over for Christmas, and two of my sisters- Attina and Adella- sang in the Christmas concert at the church they attend," Ariel replied, excitedly.

Mrs. Rabbit smiled at her. As the rest of the students started coming in, Ariel took a seat. Mrs. Rabbit walked to the front of the piano and greeted everyone.

"Welcome back, everyone. My name is Jessica Rabbit but, of course, Mrs. Rabbit to all of you," She said. "Everyone has a folder with the new songs in it. The first concert of the semester will be the middle of March. If you look through your music you will see all of the songs are from the Broadway musical Wicked. That's because at the end of March we will be taking a field trip downtown to see the show."

Everyone cheered and Mrs. Rabbit smiled at them.

She continued, "Everyone will be singing _'Defying Gravity', 'As Long As You're Mine' _and _'One Short Day'._ The girls will be going back and forth in _'What is This Feeling'_, with the guys coming in in the middle. Girls only will sing _'I'm Not That Girl'_, and boys only will sing _'Dancing Through Life'_. That just leaves the duet and solo. Auditions for both will be next week."

Ariel looked at the sheet music for the solo: _'Popular'_. She shook her head, then pulled out the duet. _'For Good'._ As Ariel flipped through the song she noticed that it could be a duet between two girls or a boy and girl. That meant Ariel wasn't guaranteed to get the duet like she always had been. Of course, Snow White would get both. Ariel looked up and noticed Mrs. Rabbit was watching her. Ariel gave her a small smile and Mrs. Rabbit winked at her. Ariel bit her lip and looked down. She was really gonna have to step up if she didn't want to just be another voice in the choir this semester.

_XXX_

After school, Belle went straight to the library. She only had person signed up for that day and he needed help in English. As she was pulling all her English stuff out of her backpack, he walked up to the table and sat down. Belle looked up at him and smiled.

"You must be Adam," she said.

Adam frowned at her. "Must be? We've had at least one class together every semester since freshman year. We have PE together this semester."

Belle wouldn't have noticed Adam in PE this semester since she also had it with Aurora, but she did feel bad about not noticing him in any of the other classes. She apologized and he shrugged it off.

"Anyways," he said. "I failed English last semester and if I don't pass it with an A this semester, I'll be a credit short for graduating."

Belle nodded. "What are you having the most trouble with?"

"The assigned reading stuff."

"Luckily, that's my strength." Belle smiled at him. She opened her folder and pulled out Mrs. Radcliffe's syllabus. "It looks like for the first half of the semester we're gonna be working on Edgar Allan Poe. First his biography, then poems, and then his short stories."

Adam just stared at her.

"Do you know who Edgar Allan Poe is?" Belle asked slowly.

Adam shook his head.

"All right, no problem. How often can you meet with me?"

Adam shrugged. "I'm free everyday after school."

Belle looked at her schedule. "Okay. Let's meet every Monday and Wednesday to start. If you need more help, we'll meet on Fridays as well. How does that sound?"

"That works."

"Great! Then we'll meet here right after school on Wednesday, and until then I'll see you in PE." Belle smiled at him.

Adam nodded, and hurried out of the library. Belle couldn't help thinking how attractive he'd be if only he'd smile.

_XXX_

Esmeralda lied in Naveen's bed and watched him get dressed.

"Are you hungry?" Naveen asked.

Esmeralda nodded. "Yeah I am."

Naveen smiled at her. "I'll go start making some dinner. When you're ready, come meet me in the kitchen."

Naveen left, closing the door behind him. Esmeralda lied in bed for a couple more minutes. Naveen was a gentle lover. He was romantic, and took his time. A lot of the guys Esmeralda had been with were always in a hurry and it never lasted long. Then they were gone. But, with Naveen, the foreplay lasted the longest and he'd feed her afterwards. The first time they hooked it had been in the backseat of his car, but afterwards he took her to Olive Garden to get dinner. Now, he was downstairs making her dinner. Esmeralda smiled to herself and decided she needed to try to become better friends with Naveen. She got out of bed and quickly got dressed.

When Esmeralda walked into the kitchen Naveen had a pot of boiling water going on the stove and was working on making the sauce. He then let the sauce simmer and added noodles to the water.

"Smells amazing," Esmeralda commented.

Naveen turned around and smiled at her. "Thank you. I'm just making spaghetti noodles with an onion and garlic cheese sauce."

When dinner was ready Naveen served it and they both sat down together. Esmeralda slowly took a bite. It was even better than it smelled.

"Unbelievable, Naveen," she said. "Is cooking a hobby of yours?"

Naveen shook his head. "Nah. No one in my family likes to cook, so we usually went out to dinner or got takeout. I grew tired of that, so I started cooking for my family every night."

Esmeralda nodded. "So, what _are_ your hobbies?"

"I play guitar."

"Are you in a band?"

"No. Guys my age have a hard time really committing to it. They all want to be rock stars, but none of them are any good and won't bother trying to get better," Naveen explained.

"I bet you're really good at it."

Naveen laughed. "I'm not bad. What about you?"

"I don't play guitar."

"I meant, what's your hobby?"

"I like to dance. "

Naveen nodded. "Yes. I've seen you dance at the games. You're very good."

"Thank you. I took a lot of dance classes when I was little. It's really the only thing I've actually worked hard at."

"It definitely shows."

Esmeralda blushed a little bit. "Thank you."

After dinner, Naveen walked Esmeralda out to her car.

"I had a good time with you, Esmeralda," Naveen said. "It was nice talking to you."

"I enjoyed it, too," Esmeralda replied, opening her door.

"Can we get together soon and do this again?"

Esmeralda smiled at him. "I'd like that."


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank God it's Friday,_ Aurora thought as she sat down next to Belle. The week felt like it had dragged on. She was now in her first period Science class with Dr. Doppler. Aurora hated Science, but she had to admit she liked this class. She was definitely grateful to have the class with her best friend so she didn't have to worry about being stuck with a lab partner she couldn't stand. Aurora also like Dr. Doppler. He was very smart, but also really funny; the class was never boring. Dr. Doppler used to teach Astronomy at Stanford University, but then married former Navy Captain, Captain Amelia. Captain Amelia's ship had been attacked and she was seriously injured, and had to leave. Even after she healed, she still had some physical limitations, and could not re-enlist. So, she got a job as a guidance counselor here at Andalasia High School. The commute to Stanford from Andalasia (which is just outside of Anaheim, Ca.) was too far for Dr. Doppler, so he got a teaching job here. If he was bitter about downgrading in his career, he didn't show it.

"_Goooood_ morning, Andalasia High! This is your student council president, Philip, with the morning announcements."

Aurora couldn't help but laugh to herself. Philip always sounded so upbeat and perky during the announcements, but it was all a show. He hated mornings more than anything and usually didn't wake up until after lunch.

Philip proceeded to talk about the basketball game that night, making sure to build up his best friend, Eric, who was undoubtedly the star of the basketball team.

"…And, finally," Philip concluded. "Mrs. Rabbit has announced that this year's Spring Musical is _Grease. _Auditions will be Monday at 3:30pm in the choir room."

Aurora was glad she had talked to Ariel earlier in the week. Mrs. Rabbit told Ariel on Monday the musical was going to be _Grease_ and Ariel told Aurora right away after choir practice. Aurora has been rehearsing for her audition all week, while everyone else only just learned about it.

Philip came back on the intercom. "Also, don't forget about my boy, Eric's party tomorrow night. See you all there. Go Dragons!"

Belle slid a note over to Aurora.

_Are you going to the party tomorrow night?_

Aurora dug her pink pen out of her purse, then responded.

_No. I have to babysit tomorrow night._

Belle drew a sad face, then wrote:

_I'm not gonna go either, then._

The rest of the period they just took notes. They were glad Dr. Doppler did not assign homework for the weekend, not that he ever did. When the bell rang, Aurora and Belle headed to PE.

_XXX_

It was almost the end of English class, and Mrs. Radcliffe was going on about what times were like when Edgar Allan Poe was alive, back in 18-whatever. Jasmine was no longer paying attention. She was trying to finish up her ideas for the dance team's costumes. She had managed to track down Giselle Wednesday, after school, and they made a plan to get together Saturday afternoon to work on some sketches. But, it was going to cost Jasmine. Apparently, Giselle was saving up for a plane ticket to fly her boyfriend, Edward, in from college to go to the Valentine's Dance with her next month. Edward was attending Princeton, and a round trip ticket cost $400. So, Giselle was charging Jasmine $20 for every costume she made. Conveniently enough, there were twenty girls on the dance team, which gave Giselle the $400 she needed. Jasmine agreed.

Jasmine's father was a huge movie star, and had been since he was in his twenties. They called him the Sultan of Hollywood. When Jasmine was very young, her mom died. Her father refused to ever be with another woman, so he never remarried, or had anymore children. Jasmine was his whole life. He gave her everything she wanted, as long as she earned it. She had to keep he grades up, nothing lower than a B+. She had to clean up after herself at home, and had some chores she had to do. She had the same basic responsibilities as any teenager, except her allowance was $5000 a week. But, only if she followed all of her father's rules; if she broke even one rule, she got nothing for the week. Needless to say, Jasmine was a model daughter.

Jasmine's goal was to attend Chapman University and study dance. But she didn't want to be dependent on her father forever. She was saving up her money so she could afford tuition, books and housing (even though the campus was only a half an hour away from Andalasia), and be able to take care of herself while in school. Jasmine was excited about her independence, though her friends didn't understand it. They all say if their parents were giving them that much money, they'd never do anything again, except shop. But, Jasmine's father raised her better than that. She wasn't going to be the next Paris Hilton.

Esmeralda leaned over and tapped on Jasmine's desk to get her attention. But, as she did this, her fake nail popped off. Esmeralda pulled her hand back and frowned. Jasmine smiled and shook her head.

Of course, all of Jasmine's plans included Esmeralda. They were going to go to school together and live together. Jasmine was going to pay Esmeralda's tuition, as well. Esmeralda's family had almost no money, and was in debt, just like everyone else. But Esmeralda had very big dreams. She wanted to be a dancer, a singer and a model. Jasmine was going to help her get there. Esmeralda worked part-time at the clothing store _De Vil_, and didn't make a lot of money, but she pitched in half of every paycheck to help with her tuition. It wasn't much, but Esmeralda didn't want to completely mooch off of her friend. Jasmine didn't mind paying for Esmeralda, but she was glad her friend was striving for independence as well.

"Are you going to the party tomorrow night?" Esmeralda whispered to Jasmine.

Jasmine nodded. "Wanna meet at my house around 7:00pm?"

Esmeralda showed Jasmine her finger with the missing nail. "Better make it 5:00pm. I need a manicure."

_XXX_

Pocahontas met John at his locker before their Science class. John's locker was right by the Math and Science classes, while Pocahontas' locker was at the other end of the school, by the English and History classes. So, to be efficient, they shared lockers; she kept her Math and Science stuff in his locker and he kept his English and History stuff in her locker. Sharing lockers also gave them a chance to see each other more throughout the day.

Pocahontas pulled their Science stuff out the locker. John walked out of Mr. Crane's Math class and threw his Math book in the locker as Pocahontas was closing it. She handed him his Science stuff. John's locker was right next to Dr. Doppler's classroom, so they didn't hurry into the classroom right away.

"How was Math?" Pocahontas asked him.

John shrugged. "Boring. What he's teaching is so easy, but he makes it seem more complicated than it actually is. I feel bad for that one quiet girl… what's her name? The girl with the red hair…"

It took Pocahontas a moment to realize who he was talking about. "Ariel?"

John nodded. "Mr. Crane kept calling on her, but she didn't know any of it. She's gonna struggle in his class."

Pocahontas slowly shook her head. "Every one is gonna struggle in that class except you, Jim, Belle, Jane and Tiana. The rest of us are gonna get addicted to caffeine from staying up late every night trying to make sense of his lessons."

John put his arm around Pocahontas. "Not you, babe. I'll help you."

"You're my hero!" Pocahontas exclaimed in a mock damsel in distress voice.

John laughed, then leaned down and kissed her. "Why don't you come over tonight? Thomas is going to the game to support Rapunzel and it's my parent's date night, so we'll have the house to ourselves. I'll help you with Math, if you make that amazing chicken pasta salad for dinner again."

Pocahontas smiled up at him. "Deal!"

John kissed her again, and they went into the classroom.


	4. Chapter 4

Rapunzel could hardly sit still in her Art class. Madame Bonfamille was telling a story about what it had been like growing up in Paris, France. Normally Rapunzel found Madame Bonfamille's stories fascinating, but today they were supposed to start actually drawing, and Rapunzel couldn't wait. There was only twenty minutes left of the class, and they still hadn't started painting. Rapunzel looked around the room at the other students. They all looked bored, and most of them were watching the clock; except Jane. Jane sat next to Rapunzel, and was one of the only other students who actually enjoyed the class. Almost everybody else in the class were seniors who just needed an extra credit to graduate. Jane was listening to Madame Bonfamille's story and drawing the Eiffel Tower on one of the empty sheets of paper in her notebook. Jane's drawings were always careful and precise; she could draw anything and it would look exactly like the original object, or person; whereas Rapunzel always put her own spin on it. That was why Madame Bonfamille partnered them up for the semester. She hoped they would rub off on each other. Neither of them liked that idea, they didn't think someone should tell them how to create their own art.

Finally, Madame Bonfamille told everyone to take out their sketch books. The desks were all set up in a circle, and Madame Bonfamille walked into the center of it to a small wooden table. She set a bowl of plastic fruit on the table.

"Class ends in ten minutes," Madame Bonfamille said. "You have until the bell rings to draw as much of this bowl of fruit as you can. Of course, you won't be able to finish it before the bell rings, so this weekend you will bring home your sketchbooks and finish the drawing the by memory."

Groans filled the classroom, but Rapunzel just got more excited.

Madame Bonfamille continued, "Monday you will turn in a completed drawing; that includes color. You may use anything you like to color your drawing: crayons, markers, paint, colored pencils, chalk, anything you'd like. This is a chance for you to be creative."

Rapunzel anxiously tapped her sketch book with her pencil. When Madame Bonfamille gave them permission to start, Rapunzel let out a small, excited squeal that only she and Jane could hear. Jane looked over at her and smiled. Rapunzel smiled back, then quickly got to work. She made an outline of the bowl and the fruit inside: apple, pear, kiwi, grapes, pineapple, cherries and a strawberry. The bell rang then and Rapunzel made a mental note to add glitter to the plastic fruit in her "memory". She packed up her stuff, then went to meet up with Ariel and Charlotte for Science.

Rapunzel and Ariel got to the class at the same time, and Charlotte was already there. They took their seats next to her and Charlotte immediately started talking about some guy she ran into that she was convinced was "the one".

"He's perfect!" Charlotte gushed. "Tall, dark hair, tan skin, beautiful smile. And, oh my god, the dimples! He looks like a real-life prince."

Rapunzel and Ariel giggled.

"What's his name?" Ariel asked.

Before Charlotte could respond, the bell rang and class started. Rapunzel couldn't help thinking how perfect it was that Ariel and Charlotte were best friends; they were both boy crazy, and were easily carried away. Charlotte was loud and talkative, while Ariel was probably the shyest person Rapunzel had ever met. They complimented each other very well.

Rapunzel started thinking about her own best friend, Thomas. She hadn't really been able to see him much that week and she missed him. She was glad he was coming to the came that night. He wasn't into sports at all, but he still came to every home game to support her. He was the best friend she could ever ask for.

_XXX_

Meg and Hades hung out outside the locker rooms before PE started. The gym was pretty much at the center of the school, so everybody had to walk by it. Hades enjoyed picking on the freshmen as they walked by; it made him happy to destroy their self-esteem. He called each of the freshman boys Pain and called each of the freshman girls Panic, and referred to the whole freshman class as Demons. Meg smiled as she thought about how as a freshman Hades had bullied the seniors.

"You going to the party tomorrow night?" Hades asked Meg.

Meg laughed. "Definitely not."

Hades nodded, but didn't look at Meg. "Yes you are."

"Excuse me?"

"I need to go to that party and I don't want to go alone, so you're going with me," Hades said.

"No I'm not."

"Listen, Nutmeg, I know you need me to keep you out of the social limelight around here. So, as long as I continue to go along with this and protect you, you have to do me some favors once in awhile." Hades paused. "I guess you could say that as long as you need me, I own you." He winked at her.

"Damn it, Hades," Meg muttered. He was right, so she may as well just give in. She definitely did not want to be on his bad side. "Why do you _need_ to go to this party? I thought you hated these people just as much as I do."

"I do. But, I'm gonna ask out this girl tonight."

Meg was shocked. She never really saw Hades as the dating type. She was definitely going to the party, this she couldn't miss. "Who is it?" she asked him.

"Gothel."

Meg raised an eyebrow at him, trying to figure out if he was serious. Gothel was popular because her best friend was the most popular girl in school, Vanessa. But, she was the most self-centered person Meg had ever met. She did everything she had to to get what she wanted, and didn't care who she stepped on in the process. Meg could see why Hades would be interested in her, but at the same time physically she wasn't his type. Gothel wasn't ugly, she was just average looking. Hades usually went for girls who looked like Esmeralda or Jasmine.

"All right, Hades, I'll go. But, you have to pick me up," Meg said.

Hades nodded, then went into the boys' locker room. Meg went into the girls' locker room, changed quickly, then headed into the gym. When everyone was present, Coach Philoctetes (or Coach Phil, if he liked you), began the warm ups. Meg loved PE. When she was dating Hercules she would go to the gym with him everyday after school and on the weekends. Working out became one of her favorite things to do. After they broke up, Meg continued to work out a lot, but not as much. She wanted to maintain her toned body, but didn't want her muscles to get too big. The only thing Meg didn't like was running, because it was proven to reduce the size of women's' breasts. Right now, Meg was a B-cup, but she wasn't done developing, yet, and she really wanted to get to a C-cup. Running would not allow that to happen.

As Meg stretched, she wondered how Hades was planning on asking out Gothel. Would he demand that she go out with him? Would he be awkward about it like all other teenage boys? Or would he be romantic? Meg laughed. _No,_ she thought. _Hades is incapable of being romantic._ Meg imagined he'd probably act like he didn't care whether or not she actually went out with him and would say something like, "Hey, Gothel babe, go out with me tomorrow night?"

Meg didn't know Gothel very well, and wasn't sure if she'd actually go out with him. But, she was _kinda_ rooting for him. Hades was her best friend, after all.


	5. Chapter 5

"Oops! Not again… I'm sorry!"

Belle rolled her eyes. On the weekends Belle worked at the local bookstore, and they just hired a new girl. Belle thought she was flighty and clumsy. She was constantly dropping things and knocking over books. Judging by the sound of the thud, Belle guessed she knocked over a rack of books this time. She walked out from behind the counter and went over to the new girl. Belle couldn't remember her name, but she knew the girl was a cheerleader at Andalasia's rival school. She was a tiny, petite thing with long strawberry blonde hair and big blue eyes. She was the same age as Belle, but looked like she was twelve. Belle checked her name tag as the girl started picking up books.

"Thumbelina, what happened?" Belle asked, picking up the book rack.

Thumbelina blushed. "I was carrying a stack of books and almost dropped one, but when I went to catch it, I knocked over the rack."

"What happened to the books you were carrying?" Belle asked.

"I dropped them trying to catch the book rack," Thumbelina said, pointing at the floor.

"So, now all of the books are mixed up?"

Thumbelina slowly nodded.

"All right, no problem. I'll clean this up. Why don't you go organize the children's section?"

"Okay!" Thumbelina said, cheerily. She then skipped to the back of the store.

Belle knelt down and began separating the books. _Thumbelina's a sweet girl,_ Belle thought. _But I wish she worked someplace else._ It didn't take Belle long to put the proper books back on the rack. She picked up the rest of the books and stood up. As she turned around, she ran into Adam.

"Oh! I'm so sorry," Belle said. Adam didn't say anything. "Can I help you find something?"

Adam nodded. "I guess I need a biography on Edgar Allan Poe to write that paper for Mrs. Radcliffe's class."

Belle smiled at him. "Follow me."

Belle led Adam to the biography section. She balanced the stack of books in one arm, then took the Edgar Allan Poe biography off the shelf and handed it to Adam. He looked at it, then at Belle. Before she could ask if he needed anything else, Thumbelina came down the aisle and stopped next to Belle. She looked at Adam and smiled.

"You're cute," Thumbelina said.

"Thanks," Adam said.

"I'm all done, Belle. What would you like me to do now?"

Belle dropped the stack of books into her arms. "Put these away."

Thumbelina nodded, smiled at Adam again, and then left.

"Sorry about that," Belle said as she walked Adam to the front of the store.

Adam shrugged. "It's ok. She's in junior high, what do you expect?"

"She's seventeen," Belle said, ringing up Adam's book.

"Oh. I've never seen her at school."

"She goes to Camelot High School. She's a cheerleader there."

Adam nodded as if everything suddenly made sense. He paid, then Belle put his book in a bag and handed it to him.

"See you on Monday, Belle."

"Bye, Adam." Belle watched him leave. When he was outside, she sighed.

Thumbelina walked over to the counter and leaned on it, resting her chin in her palm.

"You totally like him," Thumbelina said.

"Isn't your shift over?" Belle asked, changing the subject.

Thumbelina stood up. "Yuppers."

"All right. I'll see you next Saturday."

"Maybe sooner," Thumbelina said. "Camelot is playing Andalasia next Friday night. Are you going to the game?"

"I don't know, yet."

Thumbelina smiled at her. "I hope you go! It's gonna be so much fun!"

Belle couldn't help getting caught up in Thumbelina's excitement. "I'll try."

Thumbelina's face lit up. "Great! See you there."

With that, she skipped outside and left. Belle had no intention of going to the game; she was going to try to set up another tutor session for Adam Friday night. She didn't know why, but she couldn't stop thinking about him and wanted to spend more time with him.

_XXX_

It was nearing the end of Pocahontas' shift at the Animal Shelter and it had been a slow day. She finished filing everything her boss had given her, then took her seat next to Sally at the front desk. Sally was working on her History homework.

"Long day," Pocahontas said.

Sally agreed as she put her homework in her backpack. The bell above the front door jingled and they both looked up. A young girl, about their age, walked in. She was pretty with short black hair and green eyes. She was clutching a clipboard and looked around.

"How can we help you?" Sally asked.

The girl walked over to the desk and set down the clipboard. "My name is Crysta, I'm from Camelot." She pointed behind her. "I'm trying to get people to sign a petition."

"For what?" asked Pocahontas.

"You know the wooded area that stretches from here to Camelot?"

The girls nodded.

"Well, they want to tear it down to build more houses," Crysta continued. "But, since it's technically in Andalasia as well, our Mayor has to try to convince your Mayor to go along with it, first. This petition is to stop them from tearing it down."

"That's terrible," Pocahontas said, reaching for the clipboard. She signed her name, then handed it to Sally who did the same.

"Is there anyone else here?" Crysta asked.

"Yeah, hold on." Sally said. She got up and went into the back.

"Do you know when this is supposed to happen?" Pocahontas asked.

Crysta shook her head. "We just learned about it this week."

Sally returned then with Thomas. Thomas didn't say anything, he just signed the petition. Crysta thanked them, then turned and left.

"Well, it's time to go," Sally said. She hugged Pocahontas. "See you on Monday, guys."

After Sally left Pocahontas locked up, then went to the back with Thomas. They had a small room they used to take care of sick and injured animals. Not too long ago someone had brought in a baby raccoon with a broken leg. The lady said she found him, but didn't want to keep him. Thomas had been taking care of him and when he was healed, Pocahontas was going to take him home. When they got to the room, Pocahontas closed the door as Thomas took the raccoon out of its cage. He looked very tired. Thomas explained that he had just given him some medicine as he set him on the table. Pocahontas petted it.

"He should be healed in a couple weeks," Thomas said.

Pocahontas smiled at him, then looked back at the raccoon. "Hear that, Meeko? You get to come home soon."

Meeko looked at her with sleepy eyes and yawned. Pocahontas thought he was the cutest thing she had ever seen and couldn't wait to take him home.

Pocahontas hugged Thomas. "Thank you so much for taking care of him."

Thomas laughed. "Thank you for making extra chicken pasta salad last night. I had some leftovers after the game. It was great."

Pocahontas smiled at him. "It's no problem. You're helping with Meeko, so I'm happy to repay you in any way that I can."

Thomas nodded. "Well, we should probably get going."

Pocahontas gave Meeko a quick kiss and put him back in the cage. "I'll see you tomorrow, baby."

_XXX_

"Giselle, your sketches turned out amazing. The new costumes are gonna look great!" Jasmine gushed.

Giselle blushed. "Thank you."

Jasmine gave her $200. "You'll get the other half when all the costumes are done. And I'll reimburse you for any supplies you need."

"I'll get them done as quickly as possible so I can get the rest of the money in time to buy Edward's plane ticket," Giselle said.

Jasmine nodded. She wanted Giselle to get the costumes done soon, but either way she'd make sure Giselle had the money in time. Jasmine didn't tell Giselle that, however; she wanted her to have the motivation to work quickly.

"All right, well, I gotta get going. I have to get an oil change, then meet up with Esmeralda to get ready for the party," Jasmine said.

Jasmine went out to her car and Giselle waved good bye as she backed out of the driveway. It didn't take long for Jasmine to get to Genie's Garage. There were at least fifteen different auto repair places in Andalasia, but Jasmine's friend, Flynn Rider, worked at Genie's so she always took her car there. Jasmine walked into the shop and was glad to see that no one else was there. Flynn was behind the counter flipping through a car magazine. He looked up when Jasmine came in and smiled at her.

"What are you doing behind the counter?" Jasmine asked him.

Flynn frowned. "I hurt my knee during the game last night and I have to stay off it for a couple days, so they stuck me here today."

"I need to get an oil change," Jasmine said. "Can you do that?"

Flynn shook his head. "Sorry, babe. But I'll have my best friend do it for you."

Jasmine bit her lip. "Um. I'd really rather you did it. I can come back next weekend."

"Don't be silly, Jasmine. I can vouch for the guy; he'll take good care of your car. If you want, I can even sit out there and supervise him." Flynn laughed.

Jasmine agreed and hesitantly handed Flynn her keys. Flynn went out to the garage and Jasmine was left alone in the waiting room. She tried to relax, but she was nervous about having someone she didn't know touching her car. _It's just an oil change, Jasmine,_ she told herself. _And Flynn is watching over it for you._ She managed to calm herself down, and just flipped through a magazine while she waited.

About a half an hour later, the door from the garage opened. Jasmine was about to say something to Flynn, but when she looked up she realized it wasn't him. The guy who was now behind the counter was the same age as Jasmine and Flynn. He had tan skin, big brown eyes and black hair that was a little bit longer than Flynn's. He was wearing a Genie's Garage vest that showed off his perfectly sculpted chest. Jasmine's breath caught. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen. She then noticed the oil smudges all over him. She assumed he was Flynn's best friend, which meant he probably went to Andalasia High. The name on his vest said _Al_. The name didn't sound familiar to Jasmine. She got up and walked over to the counter.

"You're all set," he said.

"Thank you, Al," Jasmine said as she paid him.

He laughed. "My name is Aladdin. Genie calls me Al, but I prefer Aladdin."

Jasmine smiled at him as he handed her her change. "Thank you, Aladdin."

Jasmine waited until she was in her car and out of the parking lot before sighing.

"How could I have never noticed Aladdin before?" She asked herself.

_A/N: I know Thumbelina and Crysta are not Disney characters. Camelot High School is where the non-Disney characters go to school. Thumbelina and Crysta are both cheerleaders there, as well as Anastasia, Odette, Fiona and Kayley._


	6. Chapter 6

Charlotte bounced around the party, making sure she talked to everyone she knew. Ariel followed her around, keeping to herself and only saying something if someone talked to her first. After about two hours, Charlotte pulled Ariel into the living and they sat down on the couch.

"Thanks for coming with me, Ariel," Charlotte said.

"You're welcome." Ariel moved a little closer to Charlotte. "So, is the guy you like here?"

"Yeah, he's standing over by the stairs."

Ariel discreetly looked over by the stairs. There were a lot of guys standing around talking. Unfortunately, a couple of them fit Charlotte's description. One of the guys told a joke and everyone laughed. _"And, oh my God, the dimples!"_ Only one of them had dimples to drive a girl a crazy.

Ariel looked back at Charlotte. "Naveen?"

Charlotte nodded excitedly. "Isn't he _dreamy_?"

Ariel smiled at her. "Yeah he is."

"Do you think he's dating anyone?"

Ariel bit her lip and looked down. "I saw him with Esmeralda a lot this week."

Charlotte's face fell. "No way."

"I'm sorry, Lotte."

Charlotte turned around. As if on cue, Esmeralda walked up to Naveen and grabbed his arm. She whispered something in his ear. He looked down and smiled at her. Esmeralda winked at him and they went outside. Charlotte turned back around. She looked like she just caught her boyfriend cheating on her.

Ariel took her hands. "It'll be okay. You'll find someone else."

Mascara ran down Charlotte's cheeks. She sniffed and looked around. "Maybe you're right."

Ariel gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I am. Now, come on, I heard they're getting ready to do a limbo contest in the backyard."

Charlotte was suddenly excited again. Ariel wiped the smudges off her cheeks and they went out to the backyard. There were a bunch of people waiting for the contest to start. Ariel and Charlotte got in line. After only a couple rounds, most of the people were already out. Ariel and Charlotte were still in. So were Gothel, Vanessa, Flynn, Jasmine, Rapunzel, Helga and Hercules. Ariel and Charlotte were both pretty short, so they had the advantage. Hercules had a good run, but eventually his massive muscles got in the way, and he was out. Gothel was the next to leave; she just wasn't flexible enough. Flynn just walked away when the bar got too low. Jasmine got really close, but her breasts hit the bar and she had to leave. Rapunzel probably could have won, but she accidently stepped on her hair and fell. Ariel felt bad for her, but was glad for less competition. Eventually the bar got too low for Charlotte as well, and she stepped over to the sidelines. Ariel suddenly felt the pressure as it was now down to just her, Vanessa and Helga. Vanessa got cocky and went too fast, not giving herself enough time to bend back, and she knocked over the bar. When it was fixed, Helga took her turn. Ariel was stunned to see how flexible she was. Ariel was barely able to make it under and wasn't sure how she was going to make it through the next round. _Oh well,_ she thought. _At least I made it this far._ But, as Helga tried to take her turn, she just couldn't get low enough and bumped the bar.

"If Ariel can make it under, she wins!" Philip announced.

Ariel took a deep breath and forced herself to get as low as it possibly could. And it worked. Ariel made it under the bar with very little trouble. Charlotte screamed and cheered. Ariel couldn't help but laugh. Philip walked over to her and put a couple strings of Mardi Gras beads around her neck.

"Congratulations," Philip said. "You're the Limbo Queen."

Ariel kind of felt proud; she had never really won anything before. She went over to Charlotte and put one of the necklaces around her neck, then they went back in the house.

_XXX_

After she lost the limbo contest, Rapunzel found Thomas on the sidelines.

"You did good," Thomas said.

Rapunzel laughed. "Yeah, almost." She took the scrunchy off her wrist and tied her hair back in a ponytail.

"I'm kinda all partied out," Thomas said. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

"Yeah, that sounds great."

Rapunzel followed Thomas around to the front of the house and down the driveway. When they reached the street, she then walked beside him. The night chilled Rapunzel, despite her sweater. Thomas was wearing a jacket over a hoodie and she thought about asking to borrow one of them, but didn't want to sound cheesy. She decided against asking him.

"Were you having fun at the party?" Rapunzel asked.

"I always have fun with you."

Rapunzel gave him a huge smile. "Thomas, you're so sweet. I always have fun with you, too." She squeezed his hand.

"Rapunzel, you're freezing," Thomas stated.

Rapunzel shook her head. "No, I'm not-"

Thomas quickly took off his jacket and draped it over her. She stuck her arms through the sleeves and zipped it up.

"Thank you, Thomas."

_This could almost be a scene from a teen chick flick,_ thought Rapunzel. _Except my best friend isn't crushing on me._ Rapunzel looked up at Thomas. He was looking forward with a blank expression on his face. She took his hand again, but his expression didn't change, he didn't even look at her. _Nope, he definitely isn't crushing on me._ That was fine with Rapunzel because she liked Flynn. She thought he was good-looking and funny, and smarter than he gave himself credit for.

Rapunzel shook her head. She couldn't be thinking about boys and dating right now. She just didn't have the time. She was working extra hard on her cheerleading _and_ she was head of the dance committee.

_Oh shoot!_ Rapunzel thought. _I forgot about the dance committee meeting!_

"Penny for your thoughts?" Thomas said.

"I just remembered we have our first dance committee meeting of the semester on Monday," Rapunzel replied.

"What is the meeting about?"

"The Valentine's Day Dance. We have to start planning it now. Ya know, budgeting and everything."

Thomas nodded. "So, no cheerleading on Monday?"

"I still have cheerleading; we're having the meeting during study hall."

Neither of them said anything for a few minutes. But, then Rapunzel broke the silence.

"You know, the Valentine's Day Dance is the same every year. I'd like to change it up, just a little," she said. "Do you have any ideas?"

Thomas shrugged. "I don't know. I like the way the dance has been."

"Yeah, I guess," Rapunzel said.

"But, if you really want to change it up," Thomas continued, "you can make it a Sadie Hawkins dance."

Rapunzel suddenly stopped and her eyes lit up. "Thomas, that's a wonderful idea!"

Rapunzel gave him a hug. Thomas wrapped his arms tightly around her. He was very warm, and Rapunzel didn't want to let go.

_XXX_

Meg sat by the bonfire, staring at the flames. There were a few other people by the fire as well, but they stayed away from her. She wondered how Hades was doing with Gothel; she hadn't seen him in a while. Just then, Hades came up to her, holding Gothel's hand. _Speak of the devil…_she thought.

"Meg, I'm taking Gothel back to my house. Can you get a ride home?" Hades asked.

"Are you kidding? Who would I get a ride home with?" Meg replied.

"I don't know. Not my problem. See ya!" Hades gave her a quick wave, then turned and left.

_Son of a bitch._

"So, you finally don't have your bodyguard around."

Meg looked up to see Hercules standing next to her. _Speak of the devil…_

"Can I join you?" Hercules asked.

Meg just stared at him. He stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, then sat down next to her. She waited for him to say something, but he sat there silently.

"Can I help you with something?" Meg suddenly snapped.

Hercules looked at her. "Meg, I wanted to apologize for what I did to you."

"You're about three months too late for that."

"I know. Honestly, I wasn't sorry then."

Meg stared at him in disbelief and resisted the urge to slap him.

"I was caught up in being popular, and being _wanted_. I was having fun," Hercules explained. "But that's all wearing off now and I realize that I had it really good with you."

"Yeah you did. But, you let your hormones take control and you lost me," Meg stated.

"If I wasn't such an idiot, I would have realized then that you're worth waiting for," Hercules said. "I know I screwed everything up. But, I want to try to make it right. I miss you, Meg."

"I missed you for a long time, Hercules. But you really hurt me."

"I'm so sorry!" Hercules tried to take her hands, but she pulled them away. "I know there's a slim to no chance that'll you ever take me back. But, I _am_ going to try to win you back, Meg."

"What about Helga?" Meg asked.

"What about her?"

"Is she still your girlfriend?"

Hercules looked down at the ground. "Yes. But she doesn't mean anything-"

Meg stood up. "You're wasting your time, Wonder Boy. Now, if you excuse me, I have to find a ride home."

"I can drive you," Hercules offered.

Meg wanted to tell him no, but she knew she didn't really have any other choice so she accepted. Hercules tried starting a couple conversations, but she ignored him and they drove most of the way in silence. When they finally reached her house, she immediately took off her seatbelt and started to get out of the car. Hercules grabbed her hand. Meg turned around and, before she knew what was happening, Hercules kissed her. She pulled away from him and slapped him. Meg hurried into her house, locking the door behind her.


	7. Chapter 7

Esmeralda shifted uncomfortably in the pew as she listened to the preacher talk about temptation and sins of the body. She knew premarital sex went against what the church taught, but it wasn't her church. Her parents dragged her to church every Sunday, but she didn't believe in what they taught. Sure, she believed in God, but she believed He loved everyone no matter what. Of course, her parents found out she was sleeping around and a few months ago started making her get "help". Every Sunday, after church, Esmeralda had to go talk to Minister Frollo. They were hoping he could "cure" her.

After the service, Esmeralda's mother firmly gripped Esmeralda's hand and pulled her towards the counseling office.

"Mom, you're hurting me," Esmeralda said as she pulled her hand away.

"Essie, this is for your own good. Please let Minister Frollo help you."

"I don't _need_ help, mom. I'm fine," Esmeralda stated.

Esmeralda's mother narrowed her eyes at her daughter. "No you're not. You're a tramp, Esmeralda."

Esmeralda's mother called her that a lot, but it still stung every time. Just then, Frollo opened the door. He greeted Esmeralda's parents, then turned to her.

"Come in, Esmeralda," Frollo said.

Esmeralda walked quietly into the office and sat down as he closed the door. Frollo took a seat behind the desk. He folded his hands on the desk and leaned forward.

"Esmeralda, when are you going to stop this?" Frollo asked.

"Stop what?"

Frollo frowned at her. "Giving in to temptations of the flesh."

Esmeralda tried not to laugh. "You mean sex?"

"Esmeralda, this is not appropriate behavior. Sex is a sacred bond between a husband and his wife. It is not a tool you use to gain popularity or a pastime when you're bored after school," Frollo said.

"Hey, I'm actually good friends with most of those boys and I _care_ about them."

"No, Esmeralda. You're a whore, and you need to own up to it and change your ways." Frollo stood up and walked around the desk. Esmeralda looked up at him as he stopped in front of her. "You're going to Hell, Esmeralda."

"At least I won't be judged in Hell."

Frollo sat in the edge of his desk. "You're looking at this the wrong way. You need to repent, and save your soul. You say you care about these boys, but it's not true. When you sleep with them, you're causing them to sin as well. You're staining their souls-"

"It's _their_ choice. I don't-"

Frollo leaned forward and put his hand on Esmeralda's leg. "It's not their choice. You cloud their judgment and bewitch them. How can any man resist you?"

Frollo slowly started sliding his hand up her leg. Esmeralda shoved his hand off her and stood up.

Frollo's eyes grew wide. "You see? You even seduced me."

"_What_?" Esmeralda swung open the door. "You're disgusting." She stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind her.

_XXX_

Aurora met Belle at the stables Sunday morning. When Belle was little, her grandparents bought her a pony (every girl's dream) and since then she went every Sunday morning to ride him. She named him Philippe after her grandfather. After Aurora and Belle became friends in kindergarten, Aurora started going with Belle to the stables. The summer before freshman year, Aurora met Philip at the stables. He had a horse there as well, named Samson.

Aurora and Philip became fast friends. Freshman year Philip asked Aurora to the Homecoming dance, and they've been together ever since. Last semester Philip was elected student council president and suddenly became very busy. He no longer had time to go to the stables, so he let Aurora ride Samson on Sundays when she went with Belle.

The girls mounted their horses, and began heading down the trail.

"How was babysitting last night?" Belle asked Aurora.

"Good," Aurora replied. "Alice is a sweet girl. She's full of energy, so sometimes it's hard to keep up with her, but she listens well. I never have any problems with her."

"Glad to hear it."

"What did you do last night?"

Belle blushed. "Homework. I got out of work late, so I had to cram everything in last night."

"You party animal."

Belle laughed. "Yeah. Speaking of which, do you know how the party went last night?"

Aurora nodded. "Philip said it was just like every other party, so we didn't miss much."

"Was Adam there?" Belle asked.

"That I don't know," Aurora said. "You really like him, don't you?"

"Yes. But, I don't understand it. I don't really know anything about him."

"I understand it," Aurora said. "He's good-looking and mysterious."

Aurora didn't really think Adam was good-looking, but Belle did so she humored her.

"You think that's all there is to it?" Belle asked.

Aurora shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, how well do you two get along?"

"Really well, actually," Belle said. "He's very kind, and smart. He's kinda awkward, but it's cute. When other people are around he's more withdrawn, but when we spend time together one-on-one, he's a lot more relaxed. We're comfortable around each other, ya know. We always have something to talk about and the conversation just flows."

Aurora smiled at her best friend. "I'm so glad you finally found someone you like, Belle. I really hope it works out."

"So, how are things with you and Philip?" Belle asked.

Aurora's face lit up. "Great! Philip is so amazing! I mean, it's been over two years since we started dating and I still feel like I'm in that honeymoon phase. I think he feels the same way. He calls me any chance he gets, and sends me the sweetest texts."

"I'm glad you're happy," Belle said.

"I really am. I can't wait for you to feel like this. I want to be able to share it with you," Aurora said.

Aurora had been friends with Belle almost her whole life and Belle has never found anyone she really liked. Philip was the first man Aurora had been serious about, but she knew he was the one. She loved him so much she thought her heart was going to burst, and it was the best feeling in the world.


	8. Chapter 8

Coach Phil started the stretches and exercises; Jasmine groaned and half-assed her way through them.

"Today we start partners' tennis," Coach Phil announced. "So, everyone make your way outside to the courts."

Jasmine jumped up, eager to spend some time outside.

"Jasmine, be my partner?" Peter Pan asked.

Jasmine didn't really like Peter; he was very arrogant and a player. He was currently stringing along two girls; Wendy, the sweet girl from drama club and Tinker Bell, the self-obsessed cheerleader.

"I don't think so," she told him.

Peter shrugged and walked away. Immediately after he left, Tarzan walked up to Jasmine. Tarzan was a good guy, Jasmine liked him. He was kind of awkward around girls, but he was sweet and funny.

"Will you be my partner, Jasmine?" Tarzan asked.

Jasmine was just about to answer him, when she noticed Aladdin walking alone just a few feet ahead of her. _I didn't know I had PE with Aladdin,_ she thought.

"Hold that thought," Jasmine told Tarzan before making her way to Aladdin.

Jasmine tapped Aladdin's shoulder and he turned around. When he saw it was her, he smiled. Butterflies fluttered in Jasmine's stomach and she could feel herself blush.

"Hey there, stranger," Jasmine said.

"Hi."

"Do you have a partner, yet?" Jasmine asked.

"Uh, no, actually," Aladdin replied.

"Then, will you be my partner?"

Aladdin nodded. "Sure."

After everyone reached the courts, Coach Phil explained the rules, then assigned each team a court. Aladdin and Jasmine were playing against Snow White and her best friend, Cinderella. Snow White and Cinderella were very good and beat Jasmine and Aladdin every game. When it was time to go back in, everyone gave their rackets back to Coach Phil and headed to the gym.

"I guess I should have warned you that I'm terrible at sports before I asked you to be my partner. I apologize," Jasmine said.

"Yes, you should have. You really held me back," Aladdin said.

Jasmine's mouth dropped open. "Oh, _please_! The ball hit you more than it hit your racket."

Aladdin laughed. "Ok. So, it's probably safe to say we're both the worse players in class."

"Well, then I think we should continue to be partners," Jasmine said.

"Why is that?"

"We're a good match," Jasmine replied. Aladdin raised an eyebrow. "I mean, if we were partnered with anyone else, we would just bring them down. We're good together."

Aladdin smiled at her. "Agreed."

Jasmine smiled back, then waved good bye as she went into the girls' locker room. After she got dressed, she sat down on the bench and sighed. She couldn't believe Aladdin gave her butterflies and made her blush just by smiling at her; no guy had ever done that to her before. Jasmine wondered if he had a girlfriend; she couldn't remember ever seeing him around school before. She decided she'd ask Esmeralda. Esmeralda had the scoop on all the guys at the school. Jasmine's heart sank as a sudden thought crept into her head. _What if Esmeralda has slept with Aladdin?_

_XXX_

Meg sank down in her seat next to her lab partner, Jim Hawkins. She was so glad he was her partner. He always kept to himself and never tried starting a conversation with her. He was also really smart, whereas Meg didn't know anything about Science.

"Today you all will be spending the period indentifying cells," Dr. Doppler said. He walked around setting several different slides on each table along with worksheets. "Each slide has a different type of cell on it. You need to record each one on the worksheet and answer the following questions."

Jim looked at each slide under the microscope, then filled out the worksheet. As he went along, he explained everything to Meg, and was very patient with her when she didn't understand something.

They finished before anyone else in the class. Jim tapped his pen against his notebook. Meg was surprised to find she actually _wanted_ to talk to him. She started to say something, but changed her mind. She opened her backpack and pulled out the homework for her next class. Meg stared at the problems on the page and found herself cursing Mr. Crane.

Suddenly, Jim reached over and took Meg's pencil, then slid her notebook in front of him. He read her notes, then turned to a clean page. He flipped back and forth, jotting down his own notes. He pushed her notebook back in front of her.

"That should make more sense," Jim said.

"Thanks," Meg said.

"No problem."

The bell rang then. Meg gathered up her stuff and made her way to Mr. Crane's class. Math was her least favorite class. Not only was it boring, but she also had it with Hercules.

Meg sat down in her usual seat in the back corner. It wasn't long until Hercules walked in and sat down next to her.

"Hi, Meg," he said.

"Wonder Boy," she greeted.

"I'm sorry about the other night," Hercules said. "I was out of line."

"Yeah you were," Meg said. "Does your girlfriend know you tried kissing me?"

Before Hercules could answer, his best friend, Gaston, walked into the class and called out to him. Hercules waved him over. Gaston winked at Meg, then sat down in front of Hercules. Meg was starting to feel very uncomfortable. Suddenly, Gaston jumped up and went over to the door. He put his arm around his girlfriend as she came in. He led her back to where they were sitting. Vanessa walked up the aisle towards Meg and glared at her as she sat down in front of her.

A lump formed in Meg's throat. Vanessa had been Meg's best friend when she was dating Hercules. The four of them did everything together and were good friends. Sometimes Meg missed Vanessa, but Vanessa had been the first one to cast her out. Then Vanessa replaced her with Gothel, although Meg didn't understand why. But it didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered anymore. In one night, Meg had lost her boyfriend _and_ her best friend. Hercules managed to take everything she had away from her, and now wondered why she wouldn't forgive him…


	9. Chapter 9

Rapunzel was a little disappointed to see that not many people had signed up for the dance committee, but not surprised. Dance committee was not a popular extra curricular activity. It was always just the same few people every semester: Rapunzel, Snow White, Cinderella, Giselle, Charlotte, Wendy, the student council president, Philip, and the vice president, John Smith. Philip and John had to be there, though, to oversee everything.

"I don't know why we have to have this meeting," John said. "The Valentine's Day Dance is the same every year."

"Well, yeah," Rapunzel said. "But, I was thinking maybe we could change it up a little bit."

Everyone stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

"I thought it would be cool to make it a Sadie Hawkins dance and give it a theme."

"I like the idea of making it a Sadie Hawkins dance," Charlotte said.

"I agree," said Philip. "But, what kind of theme did you have in mind? Will it stay within the budget?"

Rapunzel nodded. "Yes, it's very simple. In the spirit of Valentine's Day, it would be a Red and White Ball."

"What does that mean?" John asked.

"It means all the decorations are red and white and everyone has to wear red or white or both," Giselle explained.

"I think that's a lovely idea," Snow White said.

"Will it be formal?" Wendy asked.

"Balls usually are," Rapunzel said. "But I'll leave it up to you guys."

"Let's make it formal!" Cinderella gushed. "And we can decorate the gym to make it look really romantic. It _is_ Valentine's Day, after all."

"That's a good idea," Rapunzel said.

Philip nodded. "Does anyone have any objections?"

All the girls loved the idea. John muttered his dislike, but didn't object.

"All right," Philip said. "We will have the Red and White Ball on Saturday, February 12th."

Philip and John left the room. All the girls talked excitedly about the upcoming dance and who they wanted to ask. Rapunzel couldn't help feeling proud.

_XXX_

Ariel paced outside the choir room, working on her vocal warm-ups. Today was the solo and duet auditions. A lot of the girls in choir were auditioning for both, and even a few of the guys were auditioning for the duet. Mrs. Rabbit canceled choir for the afternoon and dedicated that time to the auditions. With so many auditioning, Ariel was more nervous than usual. A couple times she thought about just leaving and not auditioning. But, she loved singing too much to just walk away.

Snow White walked out of the choir room then. _Of course I'd have to follow her audition,_ Ariel thought.

"You did a great job, Snow White," Mrs. Rabbit told her.

When Snow White saw Ariel, she winked at her, then sauntered down the hallway. Ariel could feel the little confidence she had left float away. She took a deep breath and walked into the choir room.

"Hi, Ariel!" Mrs. Rabbit greeted. "Please tell me you're auditioning for the solo."

Ariel shook her head. "No. Just the duet."

Mrs. Rabbit nodded as she pulled out the sheet music. "Start at 'like a comet'."

Ariel took a deep breath, closed her eyes, exhaled and began to sing. Mrs. Rabbit didn't take her eyes off Ariel as she sang. Ariel could feel her eyes on her, but tried to ignore it. When she finished singing, she opened her eyes. Mrs. Rabbit was smiling at her.

"That was absolutely amazing," Mrs. Rabbit said.

Ariel blushed. "Thank you."

"You have a beautiful voice; you just need to work on your confidence."

Ariel nodded, then hurried out of the room. She gathered up her homework from her locker. The clock hanging in the hallway said it was only three-thirty. Charlotte would still be at cheerleading practice for another hour. Ariel remembered that Mrs. Rabbit was holding the _Grease _auditions now. She headed to the auditorium. Everyone who was auditioning was sitting in the first few rows, while the people who were there for moral support were seated in the middle rows. Ariel sat down behind everyone. Mrs. Rabbit came on the stage a few minutes later and gave a short speech. She then quickly got off the stage and took a seat in the front row. One by one, each student went up. They told Mrs. Rabbit who they were auditioning for, read a couple lines, then sang a few measures.

Aurora was the last to audition. "I'm auditioning for the role of Sandy," she announced. She got into character easily and the lines came out smoothly. When she started singing _'Hopelessly Devoted to You'_, everyone stopped talking and watched her. Aurora's voice was beautiful, almost operatic. She was definitely a show-stopper.

When Aurora was done, everyone cheered for her. Ariel admired her; she wished she could get up in front of everyone like that and sing.

_XXX_

Aurora smiled when Belle and Philip stood up and cheered for her. She took a bow, then got off the stage.

Mrs. Rabbit returned to the stage and waited for everyone to quiet down. Then she said, "The cast list will be posted on Friday. Thank you to everyone who auditioned." With that, Mrs. Rabbit went backstage and everyone started to leave the auditorium.

Aurora made her way to where Belle and Philip were waiting for her.

"You're gonna get that role for sure," Philip said.

Belle hugged her. "I'm so proud of you."

Aurora smiled at them. "Thank you, guys."

It was then that Aurora noticed Ariel walking towards the exit of the auditorium.

"Give me one second," Aurora told Philip and Belle.

Aurora ran to catch up with Ariel. She grabbed Ariel and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you so much for talking to Mrs. Rabbit for me."

Ariel hugged her back. "You're welcome."

"Having that extra week to practice really helped," Aurora said. "If there's anything I can do for you, let me know."

Ariel nodded, then turned and left. Aurora walked back over to Belle and Philip. Philip put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. Aurora's heartbeat quickened and she smiled up at Philip.

Philip smiled back at her and hugged her. "You did great," he said. "But, I need to get to the student council meeting."

"Of course! I'll see you later, sweetheart." Aurora kissed him, and then he left.

"I hate to run out on you, too," Belle said. "But I have a tutor session with Adam."

Aurora beamed at her best friend. "Don't worry about it. Go be with your man."

Belle shook her head and laughed, then hurried out of the auditorium. Aurora sat down. She was glad auditions were over, and she couldn't wait until Friday.


	10. Chapter 10

Belle hurried into the library and went back to hers and Adam's usual table. She was slightly surprised to see that he wasn't there yet. She went to sit down and noticed a note on the table.

_Belle,_

_I thought we could have our session at Mickey's today. See ya there._

_Adam_

Mickey's was the diner just down the street from the school. It was the most popular hang-out for the teenagers of both Andalasia and Camelot High School.

Belle walked to Mickey's. There weren't a lot of people there, since all the after school activities were still going on. She spotted Adam sitting in the back and walked over to the table.

"You got my note," Adam said.

Belle nodded as she sat down across from him.

"You want anything? My treat." Adam waved over their waitress.

"Hi there!" Tiana greeted. "My name is Tiana and I'll be your waitress today."

Belle smiled at her. "Hi, Tiana. How have you been?"

"Busy. I've been tutoring and working whenever I can so I can save enough money to go to culinary school," Tiana replied. "But it's all gonna be worth it."

"That's awesome," Belle said.

Tiana nodded. "Yup. So, what are you having?"

"Bacon cheeseburger with fries and a Coke," Adam said. "Belle?"

"Um… Turkey club and water please."

Tiana jotted everything down, then walked away.

"Thank you," Belle said. "Since you're paying for the food, I won't charge you for today's session." Belle pulled out her Edgar Allan Poe biography and set it on the table. She started to open it, but Adam put his hand on hers.

"Actually, I thought we could just hang out today," Adam said.

"What about the paper for Mrs. Radcliffe's class?" Belle asked.

"I guess if I fall behind in class, I'll just have to schedule an extra session with you every week," Adam said.

Belle put her book back in her backpack. "All right."

Adam leaned back against the booth. "Are you going to the game on Friday?"

"I don't think so. It's not really my 'scene'," Belle replied.

"Mine either. Are you gonna go to the party?"

"Again, not really my thing," Belle said.

"So, what _is_ your thing?" Adam asked.

"I like staying in, ya know, reading, watching movies, and just hanging out."

Adam nodded. "Yeah, I'm the same way."

Belle smiled at him. Tiana brought their food then. Belle thanked him, and took a bite of sandwich. Adam ate his fries quickly, then started on his burger. When they were done eating, Adam asked for the check.

"What are you doing on Saturday?" Adam asked while they waited for the check.

"I work until about five o'clock."

"Would you like to go out with me Saturday night?" Adam asked.

Belle was taken by surprise, but told him yes.

_XXX_

Esmeralda sat on the couch with Naveen, watching him play his guitar. He played a couple songs, then put it back on its stand.

"You're really good," Esmeralda told him.

"Thank you. I practice whenever I can."

Naveen sat down, and Esmeralda laid her head on his lap. He smiled at her and ran his hand over her hair. They sat there in the silence for a while.

Naveen finally spoke. "Esmeralda, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Do you think Tiana would go out with me?"

Esmeralda sat up. She was slightly offended that he was asking her about another girl when had just slept with her an hour earlier. But, the feeling went away when she realized she couldn't justify being upset about that, when she was the one hooking up with more than one guy in a week.

"I don't really know Tiana," Esmeralda said. "But, you're smart, handsome, funny and talented. I don't know how she couldn't like you."

Naveen smiled. "Thanks. I think I'm gonna ask her to go to the party with me on Friday."

"You do that," Esmeralda said. "Just remember, Tiana isn't like me. She's probably waiting to have sex."

Naveen nodded. "She's perfect."

Esmeralda couldn't help feeling a little insulted.

Naveen leaned over and kissed Esmeralda's neck. "Do you want to go back up to the bedroom?" he asked.

"I-I have to get going," Esmeralda said. "I'm sorry."

Naveen walked her to her car, and she left as quickly as she could. Esmeralda used boys all the time, and she always knew they used her, too. But, this was the first time she actually _felt_ used, and she didn't like the feeling.

Her phone started ringing, and Esmeralda looked at the caller i.d. It was Jasmine.

"Hey, pretty girl," Esmeralda greeted.

"Hi, Esmeralda," Jasmine said. "I don't really have a lot of time to talk; I just have a question for you."

"What is it?"

"What do you know about Aladdin?"

Esmeralda thought for a moment. "I don't really know anything about him, except that he works at Genie's with Flynn."

"Um, have you ever…?" Jasmine's voice trailed off.

"No, I've never slept with him. I think I've only met him once."

Jasmine sighed in relief. "Thank you, Esmeralda. I'll talk to you later." Jasmine hung up.

_There must be something wrong when every time my best friend likes someone, she has to check with me first to see if I've slept with him,_ Esmeralda thought.

_XXX_

"Pocahontas, dinnertime!"

Pocahontas hurried down the stairs. Her aunt, uncle and cousins, Nakoma and Kocoum, were sitting at the dinner table. Pocahontas took her seat next to Nakoma. Pocahontas' mother died when she was young and her father traveled a lot for work, so she stayed with his sister. Pocahontas had been living with them since eighth grade and was very close to her cousins; they were more like her brother and sister now.

"So, Pocahontas, have you dumped that John kid, yet?" Kocoum had taken it as his responsibility to look after Pocahontas and was very protective of her. He didn't trust John at all and was not happy about her dating him. Pocahontas didn't understand why.

"Definitely not," Pocahontas replied.

Kocoum frowned. "You should."

"Now, Kocoum, John is a very nice young man. And he treats Pocahontas very well. You should be happy for her," Pocahontas' aunt said.

"I don't trust him," Kocoum muttered.

Nakoma laughed. "Who are you to judge? You're the one who dated _Helga Sinclair_. And we all know how _that_ ended."

Kocoum glared at Nakoma, but didn't say anything. Nakoma smiled triumphantly at Pocahontas. Pocahontas smiled back at her.

"Please give him a chance, Kocoum," Pocahontas said. "I really like John."

"Really? It seems like you two fight _all_ the time," Kocoum said.

Pocahontas thought for a moment. She couldn't remember the last time her and John got into an argument. He was right, though; they did tend to disagree a lot. But, they were just raised differently and had different points of view on things. They were a great team, however, and were good together.

Pocahontas found herself suddenly missing John. She thought about him a lot and was always looking for an excuse to see him. After dinner Pocahontas helped clean up, then went up to her room. She needed to get her mind off John, so she decided to get online and look further into the Mayor of Camelot's plans for the woods.


	11. Chapter 11

Rapunzel pulled back her long blond hair, then admired her reflection in the locker room mirror. It was the big game against Camelot and she wanted to make sure she was completely decked out in Andalasia's school colors: black and purple. She had used some temporary purple spray in her hair and pulled it back with a black ribbon. She was wearing both black and purple eye shadow. She had a purple A painted on one cheek, and 'Dragons' painted on the other cheek in alternating black and purple letters. She also had alternating black and purple nail polish. Her cheerleading uniform with purple and black sneakers completed the look.

Rapunzel and the other cheerleaders gathered in the center of the locker room for Helga's pep talk.

"All right girls, I don't have to tell you that this is a big game. We're playing our rivals, Camelot, and we're gonna need to double the enthusiasm," Helga said.

The girls let out a cheer.

Helga smiled. "That's what I like to hear. Now, let's get out there and put Camelot to shame!"

As they walked across the hall to the gym, they ran into a couple of the Camelot cheerleaders. The head cheerleader was Fiona. She was pretty with long red hair and green eyes, but she was very much a tomboy. Rapunzel didn't understand why Fiona was a cheerleader; she wasn't particularly perky or enthusiastic. There was also Kayley. Kayley always gave it all she had, but you could tell she didn't want to be there. Crysta and Thumbelina were always energetic and perky and friendly. Rapunzel thought she could actually be friends with them, if they weren't from Camelot. Anastasia was a great cheerleader, but outside of cheerleading she was more withdrawn and didn't say much. In Rapunzel's opinion, Odette was the prettiest of all the Camelot cheerleaders. She was also one of the sweetest people Rapunzel had ever met.

"You're all going down tonight," Fiona said.

Helga laughed. "Camelot has never beaten Andalsia in the four years I've been a cheerleader."

"That's all going to change tonight," Fiona said.

"You say that every time," Tinker Bell stated.

Fiona narrowed her eyes. "You better just watch it."

"Are you _threatening_ us?" Charlotte asked.

"You bet," Fiona said. "Our sports teams may not be that great, but we're still the undefeated cheerleading and dance champions."

With that the Camelot cheerleaders went into the gym. Of course, they were right. Towards the end of every school year, there was a local cheerleading and dance competition. Only about fifteen or twenty schools participated. The cheerleading squads and dance teams were joined together to form one team from each school. Camelot has won the last five years in a row, and Andalasia always came in second. In the past, the captain of the dance team has always choreographed the routine for Andalasia. This year, for the first time ever, the captain is a junior and not a senior. Helga had her doubts about Jasmine and was not hopeful. Rapunzel didn't really know Jasmine that well, but she tried to believe in her. But, really, second place wasn't that bad…

_XXX_

Ariel sat in the bleachers with her older sister, Andrina, waiting for Aurora and Philip to join them; it was a typical Friday night for them. Andrina was a senior now and decided she was going to all of the games. Ariel went to every game to support Charlotte. Philip came to cheer on his best friend, Eric. Aurora always came to hang out with Philip. It usually didn't take long for Aurora to get bored, and she and Andrina would stop watching the game and start talking. They were both in drama club, and that was usually all they would talk about.

Aurora and Philip sat down next to Ariel and Andrina.

"Congratulations on getting the role of Sandy," Andrina said to Aurora.

Aurora smiled. "Thank you. What part did you get?"

"Marty."

"That's a good role for you," Aurora said. "You're very pretty and I bet guys really like you."

Andrina blushed, but didn't say anything. The cheerleaders came out then and did a couple cheers. Ariel stood up with the rest of the crowd and cheered along with them. When they were done, Charlotte blew Ariel a kiss. Ariel blew one back and waved as she ran off the court. Charlotte tried out for the cheerleading squad freshman year and Ariel had gone with her for moral support. At the end of her try-out, Charlotte was so happy about how it went that she got caught up in the moment and had blown Ariel a kiss. Ariel had laughed, but blew her one back. Charlotte made the squad and said that them blowing kisses at each other had been luck, so every game since then they did it after the pre-game cheers.

"Hey, guys," Philip said, leaning over Aurora. Ariel and Andrina turned to look at him. "Eric sent me a text saying him and a couple of the other guys are going to Mickey's after the game for a little bit before the party and asked us to meet them there. You wanna come?"

Ariel and Andrina nodded.

"Great!"

As the team ran out onto the court, everyone stood up and cheered.

_XXX_

Meg watched everyone cheering for the team. _Why did Dr. Doppler have to assign going to the game as the extra credit?_ She thought. In order to get the extra credit, she had to check in with him at the beginning and end of the game and she had to wear the school colors. But it was worth forty points and, as much as Meg hated going to the games, she was in no position to pass up forty points of extra credit.

Meg pressed herself against the corner of the bleachers, to avoid being close to anyone, then put in her headphones and turned on her iPod. Meg couldn't even get through one song before someone approached her. She paused the song and looked up. It was Jim. He was wearing a black t-shirt and had a purple A painted on his right cheek. _He must be here for the extra credit,_ Meg thought. She removed her headphones and motioned for him to sit down next to her.

"I didn't know you were so full of school spirit," Meg said, pointing at the A on his cheek.

Jim frowned. "I'm not."

"It's all in the name of extra credit?" Meg laughed.

Jim let out a small laugh. "Not entirely. My best friend, Wendy, drags me to all the games and always makes me wear the A."

Meg gave him a sympathetic look. "You're a good friend."

Wendy joined them then. She was holding two bags of popcorn and handed one to Jim as she sat down. She had a matching A painted on her cheek.

"Wendy, this is Meg. She's my lab partner," Jim said.

"Oh!" Wendy had just popped in a couple pieces of popcorn. She wiped her hand on her jeans then stuck out her hand. "It's so nice to meet you."

Meg shook her hand. "Likewise."

"I didn't realize we were gonna be sitting with someone else, so I only got two bags of popcorn. I'm so sorry. I'll go get you one." Wendy jumped up.

"Oh, no. You don't have to I'm-"

"I'll be right back!" Wendy interrupted.

"Really, I'm fine," Meg said. But, Wendy was already out of ear shot. "_Okay._"

Jim laughed. "She has the best intentions."

Meg nodded. "No offense or anything, but you two seem really different. How did you become best friends?"

Jim shrugged. "No offense taken. We are different. My dad and her mom are best friends and they were always setting us up on play dates and making us hang out _all_ the time. When I was a kid, I hated it. But, as we got older we eventually became good friends. So, now we're best friends just like my dad and her mom. I think they're hoping we're gonna end up dating. But, that's not gonna happen. I just see her as a sister."

Meg raised an eyebrow at him. She hadn't been expecting his and Wendy's life story. Fortunately, Wendy came back then and Meg didn't have to continue that conversation. Wendy handed Meg a bag of popcorn and Meg thanked her. When the game started, Wendy started cheering. Jim slouched down and rested his head back against the wall. Meg put her iPod back on and turned up the volume.


	12. Chapter 12

After the game Aurora, Philip, Ariel and Andrina headed over to Mickey's. Charlotte arrived shortly after them with a couple of the other cheerleaders: Giselle and Tinker Bell. Rapunzel entered with the cheerleaders and Thomas. Helga, Hercules, Gaston and Vanessa followed them in. Gaston and Hercules pushed some tables together and added a couple extra chairs when Jasmine and Esmeralda joined them.

"DRAGONS WIN!" Eric announced as he and his teammate, Flynn, walked into the diner.

Everyone cheered and the guys high-fived the two of them as they walked over to the table. Eric took a seat next to Philip. Flynn pulled a chair up to the end of the table, next to Rapunzel. He turned the chair around and sat down so he was straddling the back of it.

"Hi," Flynn said to Rapunzel.

Rapunzel giggled. "Hello."

Flynn gave Rapunzel his signature look. Aurora couldn't help but laugh. He called the look "the smolder" and it drove girls wild. Rapunzel blushed and looked down at the table.

Eric waved over their waitress, Tiana. "Hi, all!" she greeted.

Eric stood up and put his arm around her. "I don't know if you heard, but we won," he said, then winked at her.

Tiana laughed. "So milkshakes all around, as usual?"

"Yup. On me," Eric said.

Tiana started to take everyone's milkshake order. "What are you gonna have, doll?" she asked Aurora.

"Strawberry, please," Auora replied.

"And give her a couple brownies on the side," Eric said. "It's her favorite."

When Tiana moved on to take the other orders, Aurora saw Wendy walk into the diner. Wendy was in drama club with Aurora and was also just casted as Frenchy in _'Grease'_.

"Wendy!" Aurora called out. Wendy turned and waved at her. "Come join us."

It was then that Jim entered behind her, followed by Meg. When Aurora realized Meg was with Jim and Wendy, she glanced uneasily at Hercules and Helga. Helga was staring daggers at Meg, while Hercules was looking longingly at her. There was a brief moment of awkwardness at the table.

"Tiana, add Wendy's, Jim's and Meg's orders as well," Eric said, breaking the tension. He then pulled up three chairs on the opposite end of the table from Hercules.

Wendy hurried to the table, pulling Jim behind her. Meg slowly walked over, giving Hercules a dirty look.

After Tiana left, Eric came up behind Aurora and wrapped his arms around her. She patted his hands and smiled at him.

"What did you think of the game?" he asked.

Aurora shrugged. "It was all right."

Eric staggered back like he had just been shot. "I played my heart out just for you and it still wasn't good enough for you. I _will_ win your heart, Aurora Rose." Eric thought he was so cute when he addressed Aurora by her middle name.

Philip laughed. "Sorry, buddy, she's already spoken for."

Eric pretended to look angry. "Then I challenge you to a duel!"

Philip stood up and they both got into mock karate positions. Aurora jumped up and stood between them.

"Boys, don't fight over me," Aurora said in her best Scarlet O'Hara voice.

"Then you have to choose one of us," Eric declared.

Aurora pretended this was the hardest decision of her life. She pressed the back of her hand against forehead. "Oh, dear, however do I choose?" She looked back and forth between both of them. She then grabbed the front of Philip's shirt, pulled him close and kissed him. Everyone at the table cheered. Except, Meg of course.

"Defeated again," Eric muttered. "But, I _will_ try again."

Aurora laughed. "You always do."

Aurora knew Eric didn't actually like her like that and wasn't really trying to steal her away from Philip. Since she started dating Philip, her and Eric had actually become pretty good friends and joked around with each other a lot. Eric didn't have a girlfriend and, as far as Aurora knew, never had. He didn't like the idea of dating around. He was a hopeless romantic and only wanted to put his energy into a serious relationship.

Tiana returned then with half of the milkshakes.

"Oh, let me help you," Ariel said, getting up. Ariel also worked at the diner. She made her way behind the counter and grabbed the other tray of milkshakes.

Aurora sat back down. She then reached over and held Philip's hand under the table. Philip smiled at her, then put their hands on the table, so everyone could see.

_XXX_

Esmeralda sat alone on the front steps of Eric's house. When Jasmine saw Aladdin, she had gone over to talk to him, leaving Esmeralda. It was a chilly night, so no one else was outside. Esmeralda zipped up her jacket, then leaned back on her hands.

Someone came outside and stood behind her. "You really know how to party," he said.

Esmeralda looked up and smiled at her older brother, Clopin. He smiled back and sat down next to her. Clopin was a year older than her. They used to be really close, but once he got into high school they drifted apart. Esmeralda missed spending time with him; Jasmine always said that the reason Esmeralda slept around was that she was trying to fill the void that Clopin's absence left in her. Esmeralda didn't really over analyze her actions, but if she did she'd probably agree with Jasmine.

"It's been a while," Clopin said. "How have you been?"

"_A while?_" Esmeralda laughed. "I don't think we've had a real conversation since you warned me about high school the summer before my freshman year."

Clopin ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that."

Esmeralda smiled at him. "I forgive you." She sat up. "I've been doing really well. Lately I've been helping out Jasmine with the dance team."

"Are you still modeling?"

"Not as much I used to. I just do photo shoots for print ads on the weekends."

Clopin nodded, then suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Um… What about the rumors going around about you?"

Esmeralda took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Those are true."

Clopin let out a small laugh and shook his head. "Oh, Esmeralda. Was your first time _that_ good?"

Esmeralda tilted her head to the side. "I don't remember my first time."

Clopin raised an eyebrow. "Were you drunk?"

Esmeralda shook her head. "No. I've just done it so many times, they kinda all just blur together."

"I feel sad for you, Esmeralda."

"Don't. I'm actually happy."

"If you say so," Clopin said.

"Hey, Esmeralda."

Esmeralda looked up. Her lab partner, Phoebus, was standing in front of them.

"Hi, Phoebus," she greeted. "How are you?"

"Good."

Clopin gave Esmeralda a questioning look. She shook her head. "Clopin, this is my lab partner, Phoebus. Phoebus, this is my older brother, Clopin."

Phoebus shook Clopin's hand, then turned to Esmeralda. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure."

Clopin cleared his throat. "I'm gonna go back inside."

Esmeralda nodded. "Don't be a stranger."

Clopin smiled at her. "I won't."

When Clopin was inside, Phoebus sat down next to Esmeralda.

"What's up?" Esmeralda asked.

"I was wondering if you'd like to get together tomorrow morning," Phoebus said.

Esmeralda shook her head. "I see. So, what, your parents are out of town?"

Phoebus looked confused. "Um, no. I want to take you out for breakfast. Ya know, as a date."

It was Esmeralda's turn to be confused. "That's it, just a date?"

Phoebus nodded. "Well, hopefully it will lead to more dates. But, we can start with just breakfast."

Esmeralda had never been asked out on a real date before, at least not without the expectation of sex afterwards. She smiled at Phoebus. "I'd love to."

_XXX_

"Hi, Aladdin," Jasmine said as she came up behind him.

Aladdin turned around and smiled at her. Butterflies filled her stomach, as always.

"Hey, Jasmine. How are you?" Aladdin said.

"Good," she smiled back at him. "I didn't see you at the game or Mickey's tonight."

"No. Flynn always takes Fridays off work, so I have to cover him and usually end up working late. I don't make it to too many of his games," Aladdin explained.

Jasmine nodded. "Do you work tomorrow?"

"I work in the afternoon. But, tomorrow night I have a MMA fight," Aladdin said.

"MMA?"

"Mixed Martial Arts."

"Right." _That's actually kinda hot,_ Jasmine thought. "I didn't know anyone from our school did that."

Aladdin nodded. "Yeah, Phoebus does it, too."

"That's cool." _Come on, Jasmine, get him to ask you out_, she told herself.

"Hey, Jasmine, I've been meaning to ask you something," Aladdin said.

Jasmine smiled at him. "Yeah?"

"I have a dentist appointment on Monday and I'm gonna miss my afternoon classes and was wondering if we could meet up before PE on Tuesday so I can get some notes from you," Aladdin said.

_Notes? Really?_ "Sure." Jasmine said, trying to hide her disappointment.

Flynn came up to them then.

"Hey, Jasmine, I have to steal Aladdin from you. I'm sorry," Flynn said, dragging Aladdin away.

Aladdin smiled at Jasmine and waved good bye.

_Damn._

_A/N: I kinda got carried away with Aurora's story. Haha. I do plan on having Mulan in this story, but she won't come in 'till later. Clopin has been added on request by AmberKendsLacy. I'm always open to any requests or suggestions. Thanks for all the support and encouragement! :) _


	13. Chapter 13

Pocahontas sank down in the booth next to John. It was six o'clock Saturday morning. Pocahontas, Thomas and Sally were working the morning shift at the shelter and had to start at seven o'clock. They usually worked the afternoon shift and were not used to being up this early on a Saturday. They decided to meet at Mickey's beforehand for coffee and breakfast. John always drove Thomas to work, so they invited him to have breakfast with them as well.

Ariel hurried over to their table and poured them all some coffee.

"Would you like anything to eat?" Ariel asked them.

Each of them told her what they wanted, then Ariel left to put in their order.

"You two are half brothers, right?" Sally asked, taking a sip of her coffee. John and Thomas nodded. "So, you have the same mom and different dads?"

"Same dad, different moms," Thomas said.

"Our dad was married to my mom, but having an affair with his mom," John explained. "He got them both pregnant about the same time. About a year after we were born, Thomas' mom showed up and told our dad about him. When my mom found out, she left. Our dad then married Thomas' mom. I haven't seen or heard from my mom since."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Sally said.

John shrugged. "Don't be. I was only a year old, I didn't really know her. Thomas' mom is the one who raised me. She's more of a mom to me now."

There was no one else in the diner, so they got their food pretty quickly. They ate in silence, then asked for their checks.

John put his arm around Pocahontas. "You wanna go out to dinner after work today?"

"I'm working a double today. I don't get off work 'till seven tonight," Pocahontas said.

"That's all right. We can get a later dinner," John offered.

"I wish I could, John. But I have so much homework to get done. And then I have to work another double shift tomorrow."

John nodded. "So, then you'll probably be too tired to hang out after work tomorrow."

"I'm sorry." Pocahontas saw the look of disappointment on John's face. She felt bad; she definitely wanted to spend time with him.

But, Pocahontas really needed the money. Her dad didn't have enough money to send her to college, and her aunt and uncle had Kocoum and Nakoma to worry about. Pocahontas needed all the hours she could get at work; veterinarian school was not cheap. John understood all of this. But, sometimes he felt like he was no longer as important to her as he had been when they first started dating. That wasn't true, but Pocahontas didn't know how to show him just how important he was to her.

Pocahontas rested her head against his chest. "Ya know, a lot of the homework I have to do tonight is math and I don't really understand it," she said. "Do you think you could help me?"

John smiled at her. "Yeah I can." He kissed her forehead. "I can also make us some dinner if you'd like."

Pocahontas nodded and snuggled closer to John. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

_XXX_

Belle stared at the clock anxiously. She only had a few more minutes until she got off work. The day had been going by agonizingly slow, and she couldn't wait to get off so she could go on her date with Adam. Now, Belle only had five more minutes until she could leave.

Just then the bell above the door rang, signaling that someone had just walked in. _Nooo! Why does a customer have to come in now? _Belle thought. But, when she looked up, she saw that it was actually Adam.

Belle smiled at him. "Hey, Adam, what are you doing here?"

Adam walked over to the counter. "I realized that I never got your address."

"Oh." Belle wrote down her address and handed it to Adam.

"Thanks. I should get going," Adam said.

"I still have a couple minutes 'till I get off. Stay and keep me company?" Belle asked.

"I would, but I have a date to plan." Adam winked at her. "I'll see you in two hours."

Belle nodded and waved as he left the store. When it was finally time for her to get off, she practically ran out to her car and hurried home.

When Belle got home, her dad was working on some project in the basement. She shouted a quick hello down to him, then went up to her room. Belle and Aurora had gone shopping after school on Friday to get Belle a new outfit for the date. She put it on, then walked over to her full-length mirror. She was wearing a yellow off the shoulder top, skinny blue jeans and brown high heel boots. She pulled part of her hair back, and put on a little make up. By the time she was done getting ready, it was almost seven o'clock.

Adam showed up right on time. Belle let him in and introduced him to her dad. Maurice was a bit distracted, so he just said a quick hello then went back down to the basement. Belle grabbed her denim jacket and followed Adam out to his car. Belle was nervous and ended up talking about school the whole car ride.

Adam took Belle to the Pleasure Island Amusement Park just outside of town. It was a huge amusement park with rides, games, go-karts, a house of mirrors, mini-golf and bowling. They got some pizza first, then went to the mini-golf course. Belle was surprised at how good he was at mini-golf. He got a hole-in-one at almost every hole, or he got it in two strokes. Belle had never played mini-golf before and averaged five strokes at each hole.

"I didn't know you were a closet mini-golfer," Belle said as they returned their putters.

"When I was a kid my nanny, Mrs. Potts, used to take me here all the time," Adam said.

Belle beat Adam at bowling, then they went on some rides. As they walked through the mirror maze in the House of Mirrors, Adam reached out and took Belle's hand. Belle's heart raced and she couldn't think of anything else. At the end of the night Belle and Adam played some games and Belle won Adam a teddy bear. When they were leaving the park, a woman selling flowers stopped them and Adam bought Belle a red rose.

The ride back home went by too fast for Belle and they next thing she knew they were pulling into her driveway. Adam walked Belle to her door and they stopped outside.

"I had a really good time tonight," Belle said.

Adam nodded. "Me, too."

They stood there awkwardly for a few seconds.

"Um, good night, Adam." Belle reached for the doorknob, but Adam grabbed her hand.

"Belle, I really like…" Adam paused. "…my bear."

Belle smiled at him. "And I really like my rose."

They weren't fooling anyone. They both knew they were actually talking about each other. Adam brushed Belle's hair off her face, then bent down and kissed her. Belle's heart was pounding so hard it sounded like fireworks were going off. She felt a little light-headed and put her hand on his chest to steady herself. His heart was beating just as hard as hers. They slowly pulled apart, but Adam kept his hand on her cheek. Belle slowly opened her eyes and smiled at him. Then, Adam smiled at her for the first time.


	14. Chapter 14

_**3 WEEKS LATER…**_

"Good morning, Andalasia High School! Student council president, Philip, here! Don't forget the Valentine's Day Red and White Ball is next Saturday from 7:00pm-10:00pm…"

Rapunzel dropped her chin in the palm of her hand. She didn't have to be reminded about the dance. She'd been working her butt off for the last few weeks trying to pull it all off. Now, everything was finally done, except the decorating, but that couldn't be done until the day of. Rapunzel had been so busy with dance committee, cheerleading and the cheerleading and dance competition that she hadn't even had time to think about a date for the dance. For the last week she's had to listen to Snow White and Cinderella fight over the same guy. Rapunzel didn't really know him; all she knew was that he was a senior and his last name was Prince. It was the same for every dance since freshman year. They both liked him, but neither of them ever asked him to a dance. In the end, they always went to the dances together. Rapunzel thought it was just as well; the guy sounded really arrogant.

Rapunzel wondered who she should ask. She thought about asking Flynn, but no doubt he already had a date. The dance was announced three weeks ago and he probably had ten girls ask him that morning alone. Rapunzel liked him a lot, just like most of the girls in the junior class. True, he had flirted with her at Mickey's the night of the Camelot game, but he was a well-known flirt and it probably didn't mean anything to him. But, it meant a lot to Rapunzel.

When class ended, Rapunzel said good bye to Mr. Thatch and headed out of the classroom. Thomas was waiting for in the hallway, just like every morning.

"How was History?" Thomas asked.

"Good. How was English?"

"Not bad."

Rapunzel nodded. "Hey, Thomas?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you have a date to the Red and White Ball next Saturday?"

"No."

"Um, would you like to go with me? As friends?" Rapunzel asked.

Thomas smiled at her. "Sure."

_XXX_

Phoebus caught up with Esmeralda on her way to lunch. He took her hand and pulled her off to the side. He leaned against the wall and looked at her like he was waiting for her to say something. Esmeralda knew he wanted her to ask him to the Red and White Ball. And she had every intention of asking him. Since the morning after the party, he had taken her on several dates and still hadn't even tried kissing her. Esmeralda was hoping he'd kiss her soon, but she was loving everything else about dating Phoebus. She always had so much fun with him and there was never any pressure. He was also the most romantic guy she had ever met.

"So, what's up?" Esmeralda asked, pretending not to know what he wanted.

"I was just wondering what you were doing next Saturday night," Phoebus said.

Esmeralda pretended to think for a moment. "I don't know, yet. Are you asking me out on another date?"

"Not exactly. Next Saturday night the Red and White Ball."

Esmeralda nodded. "Are you asking me to go to the ball with you?"

"Um, no. It's a Sadie Hawkins dance, the girls have to ask the boys," Phoebus explained.

"Oh, yes. So, I suppose you want me to ask you."

Phoebus smiled; he was obviously on to her little game. "That's right."

"I don't know, Phoebus, I've had a lot of other guys try to get me to ask them. Why should I ask you over them?" Esmeralda asked.

Phoebus looked at her like he knew she was going to say that. "Because I'm the only guy who would actually appreciate spending time with you and will not expect anything in return."

"I don't think Tarzan would try getting into my dress," Esmeralda stated.

"Fair enough, but I'm the only one who actually likes you for you, Esmeralda. I won't use you or hurt you," Phoebus said.

_He's good, _Esmeralda thought. "Phoebus, will you go to the Red and White Ball with me?"

Phoebus pretended to be surprised. "Me? Really? This is so unexpected!"

Esmeralda playfully shoved him. "Oh, come on."

Phoebus put his arm around her. "I'd love to."

_XXX_

Meg sat in her English class, watching Flynn read his Edgar Allan Poe essay out loud to the class. She had to admit that he was good-looking. She found herself thinking about him way more than she should since the beginning of the semester. Part of her actually wanted to ask him to the Red and White Ball. But, she knew she never would. She knew his type; self-centered jock, who was only after one thing. Sure, he was good-looking and funny, but in the end he was no different than Hercules.

Flynn finished reading, then sat down. His seat was diagonally in front of Meg's. Mrs. Radcliffe called up the next student to read their essay. Meg was glad she did hers first and got it done and over with.

Philip leaned over to talk to Flynn.

"Hey, who are you going to the ball with?" Philip asked.

Flynn ran his hand through his hair. "No one, yet."

"Really? I thought you had a several girls already ask you," Philip said.

"I have. I just don't want to go with any of them," Flynn replied. "I'm so sick of this dating around thing. It's hard keeping track of all these different girls. I envy what you have with Aurora. I want something real like that."

"Is there someone you want it with?" Philip asked.

"No one in particular; I just want a girl who's different than all the other girls in school. A girl who isn't superficial, and who doesn't always have to be the center of attention. Someone who actually likes me and won't use me just to gain popularity," Flynn explained.

Meg was surprised at what she heard Flynn say. _He described you,_ Meg told herself. She shook the thought out of her head. So what if she matched that description? _Just ask him!_ Meg was starting to get a headache.

The bell rang and Meg shoved everything into her bag, without bothering to close it. As she went out into the hall, Vanesssa was coming out of her History class. When Vanessa walked by Meg she shoved her. Meg lost her balance and fell, spilling everything in her backpack on the floor. Vanessa laughed and continued walking. Everyone stared at her as they walked by, but no one helped her. Meg reached out to grab a paper, and someone stepped on her hand. She cried out and jerked her hand back. The person stopped and knelt down.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't see you."

Meg was about to snap at him, until she saw it was Flynn. "It's ok."

Flynn helped Meg pick up her stuff, then stood up. He held out his hand to her. Meg gave him her injured hand and he pulled her up.

"How's your hand?" Flynn asked, not letting go of it.

"It's too early to tell, but I'll probably have to get it amputated." Meg shrugged. "There goes my hand modeling career."

Flynn laughed, and Meg smiled at him. They walked down the hall together, and Meg was very aware of the fact the Flynn still hadn't let go of her hand. As they approached the gym, Meg cleared her throat and pulled her hand away.

"This is my stop," Meg said. "Thanks for your help."

Flynn hesitated for a couple seconds, but then smiled at her and started to walk away. Meg bit her lip. _Damn it!_

"Flynn?" Meg called after him.

Flynn turned around and walked back over to her. "Yeah?"

"Would you like to go to the Red and White Ball with me?" Meg asked before she could change her mind.

Flynn was obviously taken by surprise a little bit, but it only lasted briefly. "Yeah, all right-"

The bell rang then.

"I'll call you later. Bye, Meg." Flynn smiled at her, then hurried off.

Meg waved after him, then went into the locker room.


	15. Chapter 15

Since their date at Pleasure Island, Belle and Adam had been going mini-golfing every Saturday night. Adam insisted that since Belle was helping him with English, he was going to help her get better at mini-golf. So far, Belle's game hadn't improved much, but she was still having a lot of fun. Adam seemed to be as well; he was laughing and smiling a lot more since their first date. Adam also scheduled another tutor session every week, which usually turned into a dinner date.

"Good job, Belle," Adam said. "Every week so far it's taken you six strokes at this hole. You just got in five."

Belle laughed. Adam walked over to her and kissed her forehead. "I'm proud of you," he said.

"I'm practically a mini-golf pro," Belle said.

Adam laughed. "I don't think so. In order to be the best, you have to beat the best."

"And who would that be?"

Adam winked at Belle, then got a hole-in-one at the same hole that just took her five strokes.

Belle pretended not to be impressed as she started walking pass him. "No one likes a show-off."

Adam reached out and grabbed her by the waist. He pulled her closer to him, but they lost their balance and fell over. They both laughed and Belle rolled over on top of him.

"I think I'm the better mini-golfer," Belle said.

Adam tried not to laugh. "Is that so?"

Belle nodded. "Yup, and I'm gonna prove it."

Belle stood up and helped Adam up.

"How are you going to do that?" Adam asked.

"I'm gonna make a hole-in-one at the next hole."

"_I've_ never even made a hole-in-one at that hole."

Belle smiled at him. "Exactly."

When they reached the hole, Adam took his turn first. He got it in two strokes. Belle set her ball down.

"Wanna make it interesting?" Belle asked.

"Sure."

"How 'bout if I get a hole-in-one, then you go to the Red and White Ball with me?" Belle offered.

"Deal."

Belle took her shot. The ball started rolling right towards the hold, but then went passed it. As the ball was rolling away, Adam went over and kicked it into the hole.

"Hole-in-one," Belle stated.

Adam pretended to look disappointed. "I guess that means I have to go to the Red and White Ball with you."

Belle nodded. "That's right."

Adam smiled. "There's no one I'd rather go with."

_XXX_

Charlotte squealed. "What about _this_ one?"

Ariel laughed as Charlotte held up yet another pink dress.

"It's a _Red and White_ Ball," Ariel said. "That means we have to wear red or white, or both."

"When you put red and white together, you get pink," Charlotte said, but she put the dress back anyway.

After trying on a bunch of dresses, Charlotte finally decided on a white gown with a silk red sash tied around it. Ariel went with a simple white mermaid dress. When they were finally done dress shopping, they still had an hour before the mall closed. They headed over to the food court for salads and smoothies.

"I can't believe we don't have dates to the ball," Charlotte said as they sat down.

"Who did you ask?"

"I didn't ask anyone. I want to go with Naveen, but he's probably going with Esmeralda." Charlotte made a face at a crumpled napkin that was left on the table, then flicked it onto the floor.

Ariel had been taking a sip of her smoothie and now set it down. "Actually, I heard she asked Phoebus to the dance."

Charlotte's eyes grew wide. "Who told you that?"

"Tinker Bell."

Charlotte nodded. Tinker Bell was the biggest gossip queen in the school, but her information was always correct. Charlotte pulled out her cellphone and started dialing, but then stopped and looked up at Ariel.

"Do you mind if I ask him to go? I know you and I-"

Ariel shook her head. "Go ahead."

Charlotte squealed and pressed send. Ariel picked at her salad as Charlotte waited for Naveen to answer. Ariel hoped he would say yes, but at the same time she didn't want to end up being a third wheel.

"Naveen, I'm so glad you answered," Charlotte greeted. "I was calling to tell you that I would like to go to the Red and White Ball with you…I am? That's surprising. What about Esmeralda?... She did? Her loss…You would? Great! I'll see you at school on Monday. Good night."

Ariel didn't have to ask, but she did anyway. "How did it go?"

Charlotte was grinning. "He said I was the first girl to ask him and that he would like to go with me, too."

Ariel was a little skeptical about it. She thought maybe he only agreed because no one else asked him. But, she didn't say that to Charlotte, she didn't want to ruin her moment.

"I'm so happy for you," Ariel said.

"Thank you! Now, we need to find you a date."

_XXX_

Pocahontas had not seen John outside of school in a little over two weeks. She missed him terribly, and he was getting upset with her. They had a fight over the phone the night before that ended with her hanging up on him. She was supposed to work another double shift today, but she called in sick. She was now putting together a picnic for her and John. She made chicken sandwiches, some potato salad, deviled eggs, fruit salad and apple pie. She then put some lemonade in the cooler and grabbed a blanket out of the hall closet. John didn't know Pocahontas had taken the day off and she was looking forward to surprising him. She loaded the blanket, cooler and picnic basket in her car and headed over to his house.

Pocahontas bit her lip in excitement as she knocked on the door. Thomas was the one who answered.

"Hi, Pocahontas. We haven't seen you around here in a while," Thomas said.

"I know. I've been so busy."

Thomas opened the door further and let her in. "John is still sleeping."

Pocahontas kinda knew he would be. She went up to his room and quietly closed the door behind her. John was lying on his side, facing away from the door. Pocahontas lied down next to him and put her arm around him. John stirred a little bit, but didn't wake up. Pocahontas propped herself up and kissed his cheek. John rolled over on his back and looked up at Pocahontas.

"What time is it?" John asked.

"Noon."

"Are you on your lunch break?" John asked.

Pocahontas shook her head. "I took the day off to be with you. I made us some lunch and thought we could go on a picnic."

John rolled back on his side. "I'm mad at you."

Pocahontas put her hand on his arm and rested her chin on his shoulder. "I made apple pie."

John sat up. "Give me fifteen minutes to get ready."

Pocahontas and John had a special spot together in the woods between Andalasia and Camelot. There was a giant willow tree pretty deep into the woods whose leaves stretched all the way to the ground. Pocahontas and John laid out the blanket under the tree, then sat down.

After they were done eating, they lied down on the blanket. Pocahontas rested her head on John's chest.

"I'm sorry I haven't had time for you," Pocahontas said.

John ran his fingers over her arm. "I forgive you. I understand that you need to work as many hours as you can. I just miss you, babe."

"I miss you, too. So much." Pocahontas snuggled closer to him. "John, will you go to the Red and White Ball with me?"

"I thought you'd never ask." John wrapped his arms tightly around Pocahontas.


	16. Chapter 16

It had been almost a month since Jasmine first met Aladdin and he still hadn't asked her out. They continued to be partners in PE; they also ate lunch together and hung out at the parties on the weekends, but no actual date. Jasmine decided she wasn't going to wait on him anymore; she was going to ask him to the Red and White Ball. She put on a tight, off the shoulder sweater, ripped blue jeans that made her butt look great and stilettos. She then drove over to Genie's.

Flynn was just finishing up with a customer when she got there. When he was done, he came around the desk and gave her a hug.

"Hey, Jasmine, what brings you here?" Flynn asked.

"The Red and White Ball."

"Oh, Jasmine, I'm sorry but I'm going with Meg," Flynn said.

"No, I-" Jasmine stopped. "Meg?"

Flynn nodded. "She was Hercules' girlfriend before-"

"I know who she is," Jasmine said. "I just didn't know you were into her."

Flynn shrugged and walked back behind the desk. "Meg's different from most of the other girls at school. She's not a shallow drama queen, ya know."

"Did you ever think that maybe she only asked you to try to gain her popularity back?" Jasmine asked, as she sat on the desk.

Flynn thought for a moment. "No, I didn't. But, that's probably not the case. I think if she wanted to be popular again she wouldn't have become friends with Hades."

Jasmine nodded. "Good point."

"Jasmine, hey!"

Jasmine jumped off the desk and turned to face Aladdin. "Hi, Aladdin."

"How's it going?" Aladdin asked.

"Uh, good. Good."

"Glad to hear it."

"Flynn, I need to talk to Aladdin for a minute. Do you mind…?"

Flynn gave her a confused look, but then it finally clicked. He winked at her, then left.

"Uh-oh. Am I in trouble?" Aladdin asked, smiling at her.

Jasmine put her hand on her stomach as the butterflies returned. "No you're not in trouble."

"All right, so what's up?"

Jasmine did her best to look and sound confident. "Aladdin, I like you. I have since the first day we met. And I've been waiting for you to ask me out, but you haven't." She bit her bottom lip. "I can't wait for _you _to ask _me_ out anymore, so will you go to the Red and White Ball with me?"

"Jasmine, I like you, too."

"You do?"

"Of course."

"Then why didn't you ask me out?" Jasmine asked.

"Well, I heard you only date college guys," Aladdin said.

Jasmine smiled at him. "You're the exception."

Aladdin smiled back at her. "Jasmine, I would love to go to the ball with you."

Jasmine bit her lip to keep from squealing in excitement. "Really?"

"Definitely."

"I'm gonna be very honest with you; I'm excited about going to the dance with you," Jasmine said.

"I'm excited, too."

"So, I'm gonna go buy a dress," Jasmine said. "I'll see you on Monday. Bye."

"See ya, Jasmine."

_XXX_

Aurora was supposed to meet Philip at the movie theater and was running really late. She got to the theater ten minutes after the movie started. Philip was waiting outside, leaning against the wall. Aurora slowly approached him.

"Hi. I just wanted to come over here and tell you I think you're really cute," Aurora said, pretending to be shy. "Are you waiting for someone?"

Sometimes Aurora and Philip would pretend they're meeting for the first time and they'd flirt with each other. It was their way of keeping the spark between them. They've gone on twenty "first dates" since they started dating.

"Yeah, but she's late."

Aurora nodded. "Look, I know this might be kind of forward, but will you go to the Red and White Ball with me?"

"No, I'm going with my girlfriend"

"The one who's running late?"

Philip nodded. "Yes, but she's worth waiting for. She's the sweetest girl I've ever met. She's beautiful; tall, long blond hair, perfect face. Sings like an angel. She's the most compassionate, thoughtful, patient, amazing person I know."

Aurora felt her eyes water up as she listened to Philip talk about her. She tried to stay in character. "She sounds wonderful. But, in case she doesn't show up, keep me in my mind."

"I'm sorry, miss, but no other girl can ever replace my Aurora," Philip said, taking Aurora's hand. "She's the love of my life."

"_Aw!_ Philip, you're so sweet," Aurora said, breaking out of character.

"I knew you'd come, Aurora," Philip said.

"I'll always come."

Philip kissed her. "Now, is there something you want to ask me?"

"Philip, will you go to the Red and White Ball with me?"

"Yes."

It was pouring when they left the theater after the movie. Philip walked Aurora to her car, and she threw her purse in the front seat.

"Can I have this dance?" Philip asked.

Aurora smiled and stepped close to him. "Always."

They slow danced in the parking lot for a couple minutes. Philip ended the dance, by dipping her. He then lowered his head to hers and kissed her. Aurora's heart raced; it was their first kiss in the rain. Philip brought her back to her feet.

"Do you want to meet me back at my house?" Philip asked. "My mom's making chicken alfredo for dinner."

Aurora nodded. "Let me just stop at my house first to change into some dry clothes."

"How 'bout if I follow you back to your house? That way I can drive back to my house and we won't have to take two cars," Philip offered.

Aurora agreed. When they got to her house, she changed as quickly as she could. Then she blow dried her hair and fixed her make-up. Aurora found Philip waiting in the living room. She announced that she was ready and they headed towards the door. Aurora saw one of her favorite movies, _He's Just Not That Into You_, sitting on the coffee table and she quickly snatched it up. She knew Philip's mom would love for the four of them to watch a romantic comedy after dinner. And Aurora was always looking for an excuse to cuddle with Philip.


	17. Chapter 17

Jasmine and Eric were the wealthiest students at Andalasia and they decided to get some people together for dinner at the local Italian restaurant, Belle Notte, before the Red and White Ball. And anyone they invited was also allowed to invite people, as long as they let Jasmine or Eric know before Friday.

Now it was Saturday night, about an hour before their dinner reservations. Jasmine and Aladdin met Eric at his house to go over the dinner guest list. Including the three of them, there were 36 people coming to dinner altogether. That was a little more than they had expected, but Jasmine and Eric both agreed that the more the merrier.

"All right," Eric said as they went over the list one last time. "There's the three of us, Philip and Aurora, Flynn and Meg, Rapunzel and Thomas, Tinker Bell is bringing Peter, who is also bringing Wendy and Wendy is bringing Jim. Then there's Giselle and Edward, Ariel, Charlotte and Naveen, Tiana and Jane, Esmeralda and Phoebus, Helga and Hercules, Gaston and Vanessa. We're also gonna have John and Pocahontas, Belle and Adam, Snow White and Cinderella, Gothel and Hades and Sally and Jack."

"Sounds like an interesting night," Aladdin said.

Jasmine nodded. "There are a couple concerns, like Hades for one. I think everyone would rather he wasn't there. Also, I'm worried about Meg being there with Helga and Vanessa."

Eric shrugged. "There's not much we can do about it now."

_XXX_

Ariel already wasn't having any fun. She rode in Charlotte's car with her and Naveen and was ignored the whole time. When they got to Bella Notte Eric, Jasmine, Aladdin, Tiana, Jane, Pocahontas and John were already there. Philip and Aurora walked in behind them. Charlotte took a seat towards the center of the table to be sure that she'd be able to hear everyone's conversations. Soon after, Tinker Bell arrived with Peter, Wendy and Jim. Jim looked like he was having just about as much fun as Ariel. Wendy had a history of getting her heart broken by Peter because of Tinker Bell, so no doubt Jim was there as support for when that happened at the dance.

When everyone was there, their waitress took their orders.

"It's nice to be the guest instead of the waitress for once," Tiana said.

Tiana laughed and Esmeralda noticed Naveen look over at her. Charlotte was taking to him about something, but he was more focused on Tiana. Esmeralda felt bad for Charlotte, and was really glad Phoebus was nothing like Naveen.

_XXX_

"You look beautiful tonight," Philip told Aurora.

Aurora smiled. "Thank you. This was actually my mom's wedding gown. She wanted me to wear it for _my_ wedding, but I want my wedding gown to have purple in it. So, she gave it to me to wear to my first ball."

"Was the tiara hers as well?" Philip asked.

Aurora blushed. "No. I bought that for tonight."

"It took her over an hour to pick out that tiara," Belle chimed in. "She said she had to look perfect for her prince."

"She always looks perfect," Philip said.

_XXX_

Meg shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She was starting to feel anxious being around so many people. Plus she was sitting next to Pocahontas who probably had the biggest dress of anyone there and it took up a lot of space. Meg was glad she wore a form fitting dress. Flynn spent a lot of time talking with Aladdin, and Meg was starting to feel left out. _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea,_ Meg thought as she started fidgeting with her fork. Suddenly, she felt like someone was watching her. She looked up and saw Hercules staring at her. He was sitting across the table and about six seats down from her. Helga was sitting to his right and was shooting Meg a dirty look. _Yeah,_ Meg thought, _this was a bad idea._

_XXX_

Rapunzel was glad Edward could make it to the dance. Giselle hadn't been able to see him since last summer and she talked about him all the time. Rapunzel lost count of how many times Giselle had thanked Jasmine for the money just since they had gotten to the restaurant. Edward was now telling Giselle and Phoebus about his fencing tournament at school. Rapunzel turned towards Thomas.

"Thank you for coming with me," Rapunzel said.

"I was happy to. You've been so busy lately; we haven't really been able to hang out," Thomas said.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I miss hanging out with you," Rapunzel said. "Tonight is gonna be all about making up for the last couple weeks."

_XXX_

"I've never been to a dance before," Adam admitted.

Belle smiled at him. "It's not too bad. I don't really like dancing, but it's fun to get dressed up and hang out with your friends."

"Belle, what are you doing on Valentine's Day?" Adam asked.

"I don't have any plans."

"Good. Keep that night open." Adam winked at her.

_XXX_

"Aladdin is so amazing!" Jasmine gushed to Esmeralda.

"He's cute," Esmeralda said.

"I really hope he asks me to be exclusive," Jasmine whispered. Aladdin was sitting next to her and she didn't want him to hear her.

Aladdin was talking to Flynn and he casually reached over and took Jasmine's hand. Jasmine finally understood what people meant when they said 'giddy as a schoolgirl'. She had never felt like this before and she was so excited she thought she was going burst. The only thing was Aladdin didn't seem to be as excited.

_XXX_

Pocahontas couldn't help feeling somewhat tense. Last year John lost his virginity the night of the Valentine's Day dance. Pocahontas was still a virgin and was nervous that John was gonna want her to lose it to him tonight. Of course, John never said anything about it or even brought it up. But, Pocahontas was still feeling under pressure. It was probably just in her head, though. What with all the Valentine's Day romance in the air the last week and just knowing this was when John had lost his. Pocahontas picked at her food, but didn't eat it. She and John never had the sex talk, so he didn't know she was waiting until marriage.

John reached over and put his hand on Pocahontas' arm. "Are you all right?" he asked.

Pocahontas nodded and took a bite of food to prove it. John looked at her like he didn't believe and she just smiled at him. _Stop it, Pocahontas! Just enjoy your night._

_XXX_

When everyone was done eating Eric stood up at the end of the table.

"Thank you all for coming to dinner with us. The Valentine's Day Red and White Ball starts in a half an hour and dessert will be served there. Have fun, everyone," Eric announced.

Everyone got up and gathered their stuff. The guys all threw a few dollars on the table for the tip while the girls went to the bathroom to freshen up. Then they all headed to the ball.

_A/N: I didn't really feel like describing each of the girls' dresses. But, I did go online and found some pictures of the dresses that I had in mind for each of them. I did not try to find dresses that were similar to what they wore in the movies. I tried to find dresses that I thought they would look good in and that somewhat fit their personalities. The characters I found dresses for are: Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Charlotte, Cinderella, Esmeralda, Giselle, Gothel, Helga, Jane, Jasmine, Meg, Pocahontas, Rapunzel, Sally, Snow White, Tiana, Tinker Bell, Vanessa, Wendy._

_*I tried posting the addresses to the pictures in the story, but the links wouldn't show up when I originally published this and I had to try it a couple different times (that's why, if you have this story on your alerts, you got 4 or 5 emails telling you I added chapter 17); which is upsetting because I spent a long time finding all of these dresses. If you do want to see one or all of them, feel free to leave a review with the character(s) name and your email address and I'll send it to you, or you can email me at megrider13 yahoo .com. Thanks!_


	18. Chapter 18

Rapunzel's eyes lit up as she walked into the gym. All of the decorations and everything turned out perfectly. Everything looked so beautiful. She squeezed Thomas's hand in excitement.

"Rapunzel, the gym looks great," Flynn said coming up to them.

"Thank you!"

"Do you guys wanna get a table with us?" Flynn asked.

"Sure," Rapunzel replied.

The four of them found a small table in the back of the gym.

"Meg, you look wonderful," Rapunzel said as they sat down.

Flynn looked at Meg like he hadn't even noticed she had been dressed up. "Yeah you do," he agreed.

"Thanks," Meg muttered.

"How about a dance, Rapunzel?" Flynn asked.

"Oh, I don't know," Rapunzel said. "I promised Thomas I'd spend tonight with him."

"Um, one dance is fine, Rapunzel," Thomas said. "I wanted to get some dessert anyway."

"Oh. All right."

Rapunzel followed Flynn out to the dancing area. She put her hands awkwardly on his shoulders and he wrapped his arms around her waist. Rapunzel was having mixed feelings; she felt bad for leaving Thomas and Meg, but she really liked Flynn was excited to be dancing with him.

"Are you having a good time with Meg?" Rapunzel asked.

"I guess. She's been kinda withdrawn; I think she's regretting asking me to the dance," Flynn said.

"I'm sure that's not true," Rapunzel assured him.

Flynn shook his head. "It has to be. I mean, I'm not exactly her type. I'm not a big, muscular football player."

"Is she your type?" Rapunzel asked.

"I thought she was. But, I don't know. I'm more into girls who are upbeat," Flynn said. "I also have a weakness for blondes."

Rapunzel felt herself blush and knew her cheeks had to be the same color as her dress. One dance led to another, which led to another and Rapunzel ended up losing track of time.

_XXX_

Meg drummed her fingers on the table as she watched Flynn dance with Rapunzel. She could tell he really liked her, and she didn't mind. But, she was slightly upset that he accepted her invitation when he liked someone else. Not far from Flynn and Rapunzel Hades was dancing with Gothel. He looked so blissfully happy that it made Meg sick. Even Hades was having romantic night, while Meg was stuck sitting at a table with someone else's rejected date.

"If Rapunzel ever comes back, can you tell her I went home?" Thomas asked.

Meg nodded. Correction: Meg was now stuck sitting at a table alone.

"Meg?"

_No, no, no, _Meg thought as she looked up at Hercules. As usual, he didn't wait for an invitation; he just sat down next to her.

"Shouldn't you be with your girlfriend?" Meg asked him.

"I can't find her."

"Have you checked the backseats of all the cars in the parking lot?"

Hercules looked down at the table. Meg was glad that she had hit a nerve with him. After a few moments, Hercules looked up at Meg and gave her a small smile.

"Helga and I went to Pleasure Island last weekend," Hercules said. "It was weird being there with her. I hadn't been there since our first date. Do you remember our first date?"

"Of course. I kicked your butt at air hockey," Meg said.

"I really thought you were bluffing when you said you were the best air hockey player." Hercules laughed. "The deal was whoever lost had to announce over the intercom that the other person was the best."

Meg tried to do her best impression of Hercules. " 'Attention, everyone! _Megan_ is the best air hockey player in Andalasia!'"

Hercules laughed. "I know! I just assumed Meg was short for Megan. But, I redeemed myself."

Meg nodded. "Yeah you did. After I told you my name you got back on the intercom and told everyone that Megara was the most beautiful girl in Andalasia."

"Then I announced that I'd be the luckiest man in the world if you'd me my girlfriend," Hercules said.

"And to answer your question, I pulled you on top of a table and kissed you in front of everyone." Meg couldn't help smiling. "I believe we got an applause."

"You're the only girl who has ever instigated the kiss with me."

Right then, as fate would have it, the DJ played their song.

"Meg, dance with me."

Meg let Hercules lead her to the dance area. As soon as she was in his arms again, all those old feelings came flooding back.

_XXX_

Ariel sat with Jim as Wendy danced with Peter and Charlotte danced with Naveen. Ariel awkwardly picked at her slice of cake. She didn't know Jim that well, but he always seemed to be in a bad mood.

"You make that dress look pretty," Jim muttered to her.

Ariel was completely taken off guard by his compliment. "Th-thank you."

Jim smiled at her and she smiled back at him. "Would you like to dance?" Jim asked.

Before Ariel could respond, Wendy and Charlotte came back to the table and they were both crying. Jim and Ariel and looked at the girls and then back at each other. Jim shrugged, then led Wendy out to the hallway. Ariel turned toward Charlotte; she had mascara running down her face and she was desperately trying to wipe it off, though she was still crying.

"Lottie, what happened?" Ariel asked.

"Tink and I were dancing together, and wh-when a slow song ca-came on, she went to dance with Peter and I wanted to dance with Naveen." Charlotte sniffed. "I found him dancing with Tiana and I heard him tell her that he had wanted _her_ to ask him to the dance!"

Ariel hugged her friend. "I'm so sorry."

Ariel let Charlotte cry on her for a little bit, then offered that they go back to her house to watch _The Notebook_ and eat ice cream. Charlotte agreed and they left.

_XXX_

"Listen up, everybody!" Principal Clayton announced from the stage. "It's time to announce this year's Valentine's Day King and Queen of Hearts!" Someone handed him a sheet of paper. "The winners are Philip and Aurora!"

Aurora quickly removed her tiara and handed to Belle, who put it on. Aurora and Philip walked up to the stage. Principal Clayton placed their crowns on their heads, then they walked back down to the dance area. Everyone cleared a way for them and the DJ played a song. Aurora and Philip started the dance by themselves, but soon other couples joined them on the dance floor.

Aurora couldn't believe how perfectly the night was going. Philip pulled her close and she wrapped her arms his neck.

"I love you, Aurora."

"I love you, too."

Philip nervously twirled one of her curls around his finger. "Aurora, will you be my girlfriend?"

Aurora smiled at him. "Yes."

That was exactly how he had asked her at the Homecoming Dance, and he always asked her again at every dance.

_XXX_

"Aladdin, is everything all right?" Jasmine asked.

"Of course. Why?"

"You've been so distant all night. I thought you were excited about coming to the dance with me tonight," Jasmine said.

"Jasmine, I'm really happy about being here with you."

"Then, what's wrong?"

Aladdin ran his hand through his hair. "I'm kinda intimidated by you."

"Intimidated?"

Aladdin nodded. "You're completely out of my league; you're beautiful and popular. You look absolutely stunning in that dress. And, you're more…experienced."

Jasmine tilted her head to the side as she took in what Aladdin said. "Aladdin, there are no 'leagues' in dating. You like who you like and that's all there is it to it. And I really like you."

Aladdin smiled at her. "You do?"

"Of course I do. I was so excited that you said yes, I had to bite my lip to keep from squealing. I was biting my lip so hard, I drew blood."

Aladdin laughed. "I don't think any girl has ever been excited to be my date before."

"Those other girls didn't know what they had."

Aladdin started picking at the table cloth. "But, you still have more experience than me. What if I disappoint you?"

It took a moment for Jasmine to understand what he meant. She reached over and took his hand. "You wanna know a secret?"

"Sure."

"I'm still a virgin. I started those rumors to gain popularity. I told everyone I only sleep with college guys so none of the guys here would try getting me in bed with them," Jasmine explained. "I'm waiting for the right guy."

Aladdin leaned forward and kissed her. "Don't worry, you're secret's safe with me," he said before kissing her again.

_XXX_

"Esmeralda, will you dance with me?" Facilier asked.

"Can't you guys just leave me alone?" Esmeralda snapped. "I'm here with a date."

"Oh, come on, Esmeralda," Facilier said as he reached down and ran his hand over her breasts.

Esmeralda shoved his hand away. Phoebus stood up and punched Facilier in the face. Facilier staggered, but didn't fall. He went to punch Phoebus back, but he grabbed his arm and pinned it behind his back Phoebus then shoved Facilier onto the ground and dug his knee into his back. Aladdin and Jasmine ran over then. Aladdin pulled Phoebus off him. Phoebus gave him one last kick in the leg.

"Are you all right?" Jasmine asked Esmeralda.

Esmeralda didn't hear her. She was staring at Phoebus as Principal Clayton yelled at him.

"That was so hot," Esmeralda said.

Principal Clayton told Phoebus he was suspended for a week and told him to leave. Phoebus put his arm around Esmeralda's shoulders as they walked out of the gym. When they were in the parking lot, Esmeralda pushed Phoebus up against his car and kissed him.

_XXX_

"Are you having a good time?" Adam asked.

Belle smiled at him. "I'm having a great time. I'm so glad you came with me."

"I'm glad you asked me," Adam said. "I was hoping you would."

Belle leaned forward and kissed him. Someone tripped over Belle's chair. Belle pulled away from Adam in time to see a freshman boy fall forward, spill his drink on Adam's shirt and dump his plate on Adam's lap. Adam jumped up.

"You idiot!" Adam snapped. "Why don't you watch where you're going?"

"I-I'm sorry," the kid stammered.

"I bet you can't do anything right," Adam said, his voice getting louder. "Get away from me." Adam threw his cup of water at the kid.

The kid immediately turned and ran away. Belle stared at Adam with wide eyes.

"What was that all about?" Belle asked.

"He made me mad."

"So you threw your cup at him?" Belle shook her head. "You're a bully."

"I'm sorry, Belle. I know I have anger issues."

Belle stood up. "I should go."

"No! Please stay. I'm working on it." Adam pleaded.

Belle sat down. "You really need to learn how to control your temper."

_XXX_

After the dance, Pocahontas and John went to their willow tree. John cupped Pocahontas' face and pulled her in for a kiss. They kissed for a while. Then John slipped his tongue into Pocahontas' mouth. Pocahontas gently pulled away. It wasn't that they had never used tongue before; it was just that Pocahontas hadn't been able to shake her anxiety about sex and it made her uneasy.

"What's wrong?" John asked.

"I don't want to do this."

"Make out?"

Pocahontas shook her head. "No. Sex."

"Pocahontas, that was not my intention," John said. "I want to wait until you're ready."

Pocahontas sighed. "John, I'm waiting until marriage."

John ran his hand through her hair. "You _should_ wait, Pocahontas. You don't want to lose your virginity to just anyone. Trust me."

"I thought once guys have sex they always want it."

"I think that's true for most guys, but my first time wasn't that great."

"I'm sorry," Pocahontas said.

John shrugged. "Don't be. That's what happens when the girl is drunk and passes out before you finish."

Pocahontas bit her lip. "What happens when you suddenly want it again and I don't? Will you go to another girl?"

"No. You never have to worry about me leaving you for another girl," John said.

Pocahontas rested her head against his chest and John put his arm around her. She couldn't believe how lucky she was.


	19. Chapter 19

Valentine's Day. For some this day brings romance, for some it's heartache and for others it's loneliness. We've all been there; the warmth and excitement of sharing the day with your special someone, or the pain of missing the love you had, or the feeling of isolation that comes when everybody around you has someone and you're alone. Yes, everyone has felt all three on Valentine's Day at one point or another. And if you haven't, you will… Everyone loves, everyone hurts and everyone feels lonely…

Ariel was going through her DVDs when the doorbell rang. Charlotte was coming over for a Girls' Night In slumber party. Even though it was only six o'clock, Ariel was already in her pajamas: an overgrown blue t-shirt and white shorts. Ariel giggled when she opened the door and saw Charlotte. She was in her pajamas already as well: pink pajama pants and a matching pink tank top. She had her hair in pigtails with pink bows. She had her pillow in one hand and her favorite stuffed animal (a gray cat she named Buttons) in the other. Ariel noticed Charlotte also had a backpack on her back and she could tell by the pink and white straps that it was her Care Bears backpack.

"You look adorable," Ariel said as Charlotte walked into the house. "I was just getting some movies to watch. You can go right up to my room; I'll be up in a minute."

Charlotte nodded and went upstairs. Ariel continued to go through her movies and decided on _Bring It On, Mean Girls, She's All That_ and _John Tucker Must Die_. When Ariel entered her room Charlotte was pulling her makeover kit out of her backpack.

"I though we could give each other makeovers while we a watch a movie," Charlotte said.

"All right." Ariel set the movies on the bed. "You wanna pick a movie while I get my stuff out of the bathroom?"

Ariel walked over to the bathroom her and Andrina shared. She grabbed her makeup and hair stuff, then joined Charlotte on the bed. Charlotte had chosen _Mean Girls_ and was just getting the movie started. Charlotte knelt behind Ariel and started brushing her hair.

Ariel was excited to be having a slumber party with Charlotte, but she couldn't help feeling kinda lonely. It _was_ Valentine's Day, after all. Ariel had never had a date on Valentine's Day before, but she also never really liked anyone before, either. Until Saturday night, that is. She kept hearing Jim's comment over and over. _"You make that dress look pretty."_ Ariel wasn't sure if she actually _liked_ Jim or if she just liked him because he complimented her. Either way part of her, a big part of her, wished she was spending Valentine's Day with Jim.

When Charlotte was done braiding Ariel's hair, she sat down in front of her and handed her some makeup. Ariel took the eye shadow out the makeup bag and brushed a little bit over Charlotte's eyes. Then she added just a touch of blush. She was just finishing up applying some glitter lipgloss when Charlotte's cellphone started ringing.

"Sorry," Charlotte said, digging through her bag. "It's probably my mom; I forgot to call her when I got here."

Ariel nodded and started putting Charlotte's makeup back in the bag.

When Charlotte found her phone, she squealed. "It's Naveen! I have to take this."

With that, Charlotte disappeared into the hallway. Ariel sighed. She knew Charlotte wasn't coming back for a while. She went into the bathroom, applied her own makeup, then lied down on her bed. She reached over and picked up Buttons.

"I don't understand, Buttons," Ariel said. "Naveen broke her heart and she _still_ chose him over me."

Ariel didn't think it was possible to ever feel lonelier than when your best friend chooses a boy over you. Ariel finished watching the last half of _Mean Girls_ and all of _John Tucker Must Die _before Charlotte finally came back into her room.

Everyone feels lonely…

_XXX_

Aurora could hardly sit still; she loved Valentine's Day and was really excited to find out what Philip had planned for them. When Philip pulled into the parking lot of the stables, Aurora nearly jumped out of the car. She had never gone horse back riding with Philip before. Aurora squeezed Philip's hand as they made their way to the stables. She was surprised to see that Philippe and Samson were already ready to go. Philip helped Aurora onto Philippe, then he quickly mounted Samson.

"This is amazing," Aurora said as they started down the trail. "I've always wanted to go horse back riding with you."

"I'm sorry I haven't had time to take you," Philip said.

Aurora shook her head. "No, it's okay. This is great."

They rode along the trail until it led them out to the beach. They rode down the beach for a while. Aurora's breath caught as they approached a small table set for a candle lit dinner for two. They tied up their horses and Philip held out a chair for Aurora.

"Philip, this is incredible," Aurora said. "How did you do this?"

"If I told you, it would take away from the magic," Philip said as he sat down.

Aurora noticed there were a couple boxes from Mickey's sitting on the table. She opened the one in front of her. He had gotten her macaroni and cheese; her favorite.

Aurora smiled at him. "You're awesome."

"I also got fries and gravy," Philip said, pointing at a couple other boxes. "And brownies for dessert."

It was then that Aurora noticed her strawberry milkshake. "You're the greatest boyfriend ever!"

Philip smiled at her. "I wanted dinner to be romantic, but none of your favorite foods are romantic."

Aurora laughed. "I know. But, everything is perfect."

They ate their dinner quietly, then put the boxes in the takeout bag.

Aurora picked up a fry and dipped it in the gravy. "I actually have a present for you."

Aurora popped the fry in her mouth and opened her purse. She pulled out two plane tickets and handed one to Philip. He looked at the ticket then back up at her.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Belle and I are spending the summer with my mom in California and I want you to come, too."

"I don't want to impose on your guys' time together," Philip said.

"Don't worry. I already talked to Belle and she's totally cool with it."

Aurora could see Philip starting to get excited.

"I guess we're going to California," Philip said. He set the ticket on the table and pulled a small box out of his pocket. "I got you something, too."

Philip slowly opened the box and Aurora gasped. "A diamond bracelet!"

Philip took it out of the box and fastened it around her wrist. Aurora held it up to the candle and admired it.

"Oh, Philip, it's beautiful," Aurora said. "Thank you."

"I love you, Aurora."

Aurora leaned forward and kissed Philip. "And I love you, Philip."

Everyone loves…

_XXX_

Pocahontas spent all afternoon getting ready for her date with John. She had bought a short white dress for tonight and couldn't wait for John to see her in it. She slipped on her silver high heel sandals and grabbed her white trench coat. She shrugged on her coat as she hurried out to her car. Pocahontas was so excited about the date that it actually took her three tries to get her key in the ignition.

She was meeting John at his house for dinner, and then they were going to see _Damn Yankees_, a musical being put on at Andalasia Community College. John had gotten their tickets two weeks ago and Pocahontas had checked her purse six times before she left to make sure she had her ticket.

_I'm on my way. Love you. –P_

As soon as Pocahontas sent the text to John, her phone rang. She looked at the caller i.d. and groaned; it was her boss, Chicha.

Pocahontas hesitantly answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Pocahontas! I'm so glad I got a hold of you!" Chicha sounded frantic.

"What's wrong?"

"Someone just brought in a stray cat that got hit by a car and I need you to come in and help me," Chicha.

Pocahontas bit her lip. "Chicha, I can't work tonight. John and I are going to a play."

"I know, I know. You told me that a couple weeks ago. But I can't get a hold of anyone else. Please, Pocahontas," Chicha pleaded.

Pocahontas glanced at the clock on her radio. Missing dinner wouldn't be a problem, and if she didn't stay too long, she could probably make it on time to the play.

"All right, Chicha, but I can only stay for an hour," Pocahontas said.

"Thank you, Pocahontas. I'll see you in a little bit."

When Pocahontas hung up, she saw she had a text from John:

_I love u 2. I'm really looking forward 2 tonite. I miss u._

Pocahontas' heart sank as she dialed John's number. He answered right away.

"Hey, Pocahontas."

"Hi, sweetie. Look, there's a small change in plans for tonight. I have to go into work for a little bit, so I'm going to miss dinner. But, I should make it to the play on time," Pocahontas said.

There was a long silence before John finally said, "This really isn't working for me, Pocahontas. I understand that you need to work and you're busy with school and everything. But, maybe you're too busy to be in a relationship right now."

"No, John, please don't do this." Tears sprang to Pocahontas' eyes.

"I'm sorry. I still love you and I'll wait for you as long as I can. But it's probably best if you just focus on work and school without anyone holding you back," John said.

"John, stop it, please! I'll meet you at the play and we can talk about this afterwards," Pocahontas said.

"I'm not going to the play, Pocahontas. I'll see you at school tomorrow. Good bye." John hung up.

Pocahontas threw her phone onto the passenger seat and started crying. She cried the entire way to work. When she pulled into the parking lot, she made herself stop crying and fixed her make up. She took off her trench coat and pulled her lab coat on over new dress. She slipped on her work shoes and slowly walked into the animal shelter.

Everyone hurts…

_A/N: I've created a Facebook profile under my pen name, Meg Rider, dedicated just to my fan fiction. I'll post pictures and links that go along with my stories, as well as updates. I posted the link on my fan fiction profile. You can add me as a friend, if you want. And, as always, I will be accepting requests and suggestions for my stories. Thanks for all the support! :)_


	20. Chapter 20

Valentine's Day. For some this day brings romance, for some it's heartache and for others it's loneliness. We've all been there; the warmth and excitement of sharing the day with your special someone, or the pain of missing the love you had, or the feeling of isolation that comes when everybody around you has someone and you're alone. Yes, everyone has felt all three on Valentine's Day at one point or another. And if you haven't, you will… Everyone loves, everyone hurts and everyone feels lonely…

"_It's Thomas, leave a message…"_

Rapunzel sighed and hung up her phone. She hadn't talked to Thomas since the Red and White Ball. She knew he was upset about her ditching him for Flynn, and she didn't blame him. But, she wished he'd give her a chance to apologize. And, to top it all off, she hadn't heard from Flynn since the ball, either. Rapunzel knew she really screwed up. She grabbed her jacket and started walking to Thomas' house.

Thomas and his family moved down the street from Rapunzel in kindergarten and they rode the bus together. Thomas was a really shy kid and never talked to anyone but John. Rapunzel's dad had bought her the big box of crayons and the other kids were always trying to steal crayons from her. So, she used to color by herself in a corner. One day Thomas' blue crayon broke and he had come to her and asked if he could use hers. She invited him to color with her and they became inseparable. They've been best friends ever since. Until now.

Rapunzel walked up to Thomas' front door and rang the doorbell. Thomas answered the door and frowned at her.

"Thomas, I'm so sorry!" Rapunzel cried.

"I know it sounds ridiculous, but you really hurt me, Rapunzel."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"I have to go." With that Thomas closed the door.

Rapunzel knocked on the door. "Thomas, wait, please!"

Of course, he didn't come back. Rapunzel hurried back to her house and collapsed on her bed. She buried her face in her pillow and started crying. She couldn't believe she was losing her best friend after all these years. Thomas had always been there for her no matter what and without him she suddenly felt very alone. Rapunzel's Samoyed came into the room and jumped on her bed.

"Oh, Max, what am I going to do?" Rapunzel wrapped her arms around his neck. "I miss him so much."

Max laid down and put his head in her lap. Rapunzel started petting him. "Some Valentine's Day this turned out to be."

Rapunzel had never hurt this much before; she could actually feel her heart breaking.

Everyone hurts…

_XXX_

"Dinner was delicious," Esmeralda said as she and Phoebus walked out of Bella Notte. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Phoebus said, opening the car door for her.

They drove in silence for a while. Esmeralda still felt a little uncomfortable around him after what had happened at the dance. She was embarrassed about what Facilier had done but, at the same time, she had been pretty turned on by seeing Phoebus fight for her.

Phoebus pulled into the parking lot of dark two-story building. Esmeralda looked around trying to figure where they were. Phoebus parked in front of the building and she could now see it was a fitness gym.

"This is where I do mixed martial arts," Phoebus explained as he turned off the car.

Esmeralda nodded. They got out of the car and Phoebus led her to the back of the building. There was a ladder leaning against the building and Phoebus immediately started climbing up it. Esmeralda followed him. As she reached the top, Phoebus held out his hand and helped her up. He walked over to a small storage shed, pulled out a blanket and laid it on the ground. He sat down and Esmeralda joined him.

"Phoebus, why haven't you tried getting me in bed with you?" Esmeralda asked.

"I want to wait 'till it's the right time," Phoebus said. "When we do it, I want it to be romantic and special, like your first time."

Esmeralda let out a small laugh. "I don't remember my first time, so it must not have been very special."

Phoebus raised an eyebrow at her. "You don't remember?"

Esmeralda shook her head. "No. I've just done it so many times, that I can't differentiate each separate occasion. But, I like to pretend it was romantic."

"In a nice, candle lit hotel room with orchids everywhere?" Phoebus asked. "And with a guy who will be gentle with you?"

Esmeralda slowly nodded. "Yeah. How did you know that?"

Phoebus smiled at her. "You told me."

"I did? When?"

"Last summer when we were working as lifeguards at the pool," Phoebus said.

"Oh, right! I totally forgot all about that," Esmeralda said. "Sorry, last summer was kinda chaotic."

"Do you remember Fourth of July?"

Esmeralda thought for a minute. "Not really. I remember it was supposed to be the biggest firework show Andalasia has ever put on, but I missed it for some reason."

Phoebus frowned. "I'm not sure if I should find this sad, humorous or offensive."

"Offensive? What do you mean?" Esmeralda asked.

Phoebus sighed. "Esmeralda, you missed the fireworks because you were with me. You lost your virginity to me that night."

Esmeralda's eyes grew wide. "It was with _you_?"

"A lot of guys had been talking about your new reputation that summer," Phoebus explained. "You confessed to me that you were nervous about your first time and you told me exactly how you wanted it to go."

Everything came flooding back to Esmeralda. "You were still a virgin, too, and I asked you to be my first because you were the only one I trusted." Esmeralda smiled to herself. "You got us a room at the Bell Tower Hotel and made sure everything was exactly the way I had explained it to you."

"We wanted to do it on Fourth of July so it'd be an easy date for us to remember," Phoebus added.

Esmeralda looked down. "I can't believe I forgot. That night was perfect."

"Almost perfect," Phoebus said.

"What do you mean?"

"We stopped being friends after that. We didn't talk again until this semester when we became lab partners."

"I'm sorry." Esmeralda leaned up against Phoebus and he kissed the top of her head.

She knew now that she had purposefully blocked out that night. After they made love, they had been cuddling on the bed and Esmeralda thought she was falling for Phoebus and that had scared her. She had started using sex as a way to gain popularity, but she had done it so often as a way to keep from thinking about Phoebus. And it worked; for a little while, at least. But now she was with him again and all those feelings she had been trying to hide from were catching back up to her.

Phoebus leaned back on his hands. Esmeralda straddled him, then leaned forward and kissed his forehead.

"I think I'm falling for you, Phoebus," Esmeralda said.

Phoebus sat up and wrapped his arms around Esmeralda. "I'm falling for you, too, Esmeralda."

Everyone loves…

_XXX_

Belle was curled up in the big armchair in the living room with one of her favorite romance novels, but she couldn't concentrate on it. She closed the book and set it on the coffee table. Part of her was regretting canceling her date with Adam. She had to stay strong, though. His behavior at the dance was unacceptable and he had to learn that she wasn't going to put up with it. Of course he had apologized about twenty times, but to Belle not to the kid he had lost his temper with. Belle didn't think he really understood what he had done wrong.

But, nonetheless, she still regretted canceling on him, since now she was sitting home alone on Valentine's Day. She had no date, and all of her friends did. Aurora was out with Philip, Tiana was with Naveen and Jane finally asked out Tarzan. Even Belle's father had a date.

Belle's phone started ringing. She reached over and picked it up off the coffee table. It was Adam, again.

Belle flipped open her phone. "Hello?"

"Belle, I'm sorry about how I acted the other night," Adam said.

"It's not me you should be apologizing to," Belle responded. "You need to tell that kid you're sorry."

"But, I don't even know who he is."

"His name is Pinocchio," Belle said. "I tutor him once a week and I have his phone number, if you want to call him."

"I don't think so."

"All right, then I have to go. Bye, Adam."

Right after Belle hung up the phone, she got a text from Aurora. She opened it to see that it was a picture of a bracelet with the caption _"My Valentine's Day present from Philip! I love him!"_

Belle closed her phone and sighed. She had been getting pictures from Aurora, Tiana and Jane all night. Belle ignored the text and tried getting into her book again. About a half an hour later Belle got another picture message, this time it was from Jane. Belle opened the message and frowned. It was a picture of her and Tarzan playing mini-golf at Pleasure Island. They were standing in front of the waterfall at the hole where Belle had made the hole-in-one to get Adam to go to the ball with her. Belle wished she was there with Adam now.

_Stupid Adam,_ Belle thought. _You were co cute and charming. Why did you have to open your big mouth and ruin everything?_

Belle closed her book and started drumming her fingers on it. _Stop feeling for yourself,_ Belle scolded herself. _You're lonely tonight because you're being stubborn._

Belle needed to distract herself from being lonely. She had to make a decision about Adam. She still really liked him, but she was worried about his temper. Just how bad was it? He threw a cup of water at a kid because he accidentally spilled his drink on him. What would he do if Belle really made him mad? Would he throw something at her? Would he hit her? In all honesty, Belle was a little afraid of Adam.

But, at the same time, Belle wanted to help him. She's seen that he's a good person. It's just his temper, but that can be fixed. Belle decided she would continue dating Adam and try to help him. But the first time he gets physical with her out of anger, she's gonna end things with him.

Belle picked up her book and started reading it again. When she got to the first romance part, she closed the book again.

"Ugh. This isn't helping," Belle muttered to herself. She got up, threw the book on the chair and went up to her room to do her homework.

Everyone feels lonely…


	21. Chapter 21

Valentine's Day. For some this day brings romance, for some it's heartache and for others it's loneliness. We've all been there; the warmth and excitement of sharing the day with your special someone, or the pain of missing the love you had, or the feeling of isolation that comes when everybody around you has someone and you're alone. Yes, everyone has felt all three on Valentine's Day at one point or another. And if you haven't, you will… Everyone loves, everyone hurts and everyone feels lonely…

Jasmine laid out a blanket on the carpet in the living room, she then went into the kitchen and grabbed a tray of chocolate-covered strawberries and a bottle of sparkling white grape juice. As she was setting the tray and bottle on the blanket, there was a knock at the door. Jasmine checked her hair and make up in the mirror in the hallway, adjusted her clothes, then answered the door. She smiled at him when she saw he was holding a bouquet of jasmine flowers.

"Roses on Valentine's Day is kind of cliche," Aladdin said as he handed the flowers to Jasmine.

"So you bought me jasmine flowers?"

Aladdin shrugged. "I thought it would be unique and different."

Jasmine kissed Aladdin's cheek as he walked in. "I'm pretty sure you're the cutest thing ever."

Aladdin smiled at her. Jasmine put the flowers in a vase and set them on the blanket in the living room, and they both sat down. Aladdin picked up the bottle of sparkling white grape juice and laughed.

"You party animal," he said.

"Hey, I get a very big allowance that I would lose if I drank any alcohol," Jasmine explained.

Aladdin nodded. "What do your parents do, anyway?"

"Well, my mom died when I was six. But, my dad is an actor." Jasmine pointed at the various movie posters hanging in the living room.

Aladdin's eyes grew wide as he looked at the posters. "Your _dad_ is the Sultan of Hollywood?"

Jasmine nodded. She was actually glad Aladdin hadn't known that ahead of time. At least she knew he wasn't dating her to try to get to her dad.

Aladdin leaned back against the couch. Jasmine shifted so she was sitting in front of him and she laid back against him. Aladdin put his arms around her.

"My mom died when I was little, too," Aladdin said. "My dad left a few months after I was born and I never saw him of heard from him. Until my mom died. He got custody of me and we moved here. He's still not around much, though. He leaves for weeks at a time. I have no idea what he does for work or where he goes when he leaves. I had to get a job in order to buy food."

Jasmine didn't know what to say. Sometimes she forgot that other people weren't as well off as she was.

"Thank you for the flowers," Jasmine said.

Aladdin smiled at her. "You're welcome."

"Jasmine is actually my favorite flower," Jasmine continued. "They were mom's favorite as well, that's how I got my name. She always kept fresh jasmine in my room. They remind me of her." Jasmine traced her finger over Aladdin's hand. "No one has ever bought me jasmine flowers before because they think it'd be cheesy. But you're different."

Aladdin ran his hand through Jasmine's hair. "I like you a lot, Jasmine."

"Yeah, I really like you, too."

Aladdin leaned forward and picked up a strawberry. He leaned back and held out the strawberry for Jasmine. She took a bite and then he took a bite. He discarded the stem on the tray, then wrapped his arms tightly back around Jasmine. She reached over and grabbed a remote off the end table and turned on the fireplace. They really didn't need a fire, but it definitely added to the romance. Jasmine snuggled up closer to him and closed her eyes. She couldn't believe how much she liked Aladdin, and how safe she felt with him. Jasmine really hoped she would be with him for a long time.

Everyone loves…

_XXX_

Meg washed her face, then looked at herself in the mirror. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about Hercules since the ball and it was driving her nuts. She couldn't believe she was starting to have feelings for him again. Well, actually, part of her could believe it. Hercules was good-looking, charming and sweet. _And a jerk! _Meg told herself. _Ugh!_

"Do you remember what he did to you?" Meg asked her reflection. "Do you remember how you felt when you saw him with Helga in the backseat of his car? Helga who, by the way, is still his girlfriend. If he likes _you _so much, why hasn't he broken up with _her_, yet?"

Meg gripped the edge of the sink. She needed to get out of the house and distract herself. She put on some makeup and decided to go for a walk. She slipped on her black leather jacket and headed out the door.

Recently, Meg always wanted to be left alone. But thinking back on the times she had with Hercules, made her miss him and now she actually _felt_ alone.

Meg made her way down Main Street to Mickey's. Meg reached for the door just as Vanessa and Gaston were coming out.

"Hey, Meg," Gaston greeted. "Happy Valentine's Day."

Meg looked at him like he was joking. "Thanks. You too."

Vanessa glared at Meg, but didn't say anything.

"How have you been?" Gaston asked her.

Meg narrowed her eyes at him. "How do you _think _I've been?"

"Oh. Right. Sorry," Gaston said.

"Can we go now?" Vanessa asked.

Gaston nodded. "Take care, Meg. Oh, and, Hercules is in there with Helga."

Meg watched Gaston and Vanessa walk away. She missed them, as well. She probably missed Vanessa more than Hercules. Meg debated whether or not to go into Mickey's, but in the end went in anyway. She ordered a chocolate and peanut butter shake at the register and leaned against the counter while she waited. Hercules walked up to the register with his arm around Helga. When he saw Meg he let go of Helga. Helga was texting and didn't seem to notice Meg. Hercules smiled and winked at Meg. Butterflies filled Meg's stomach, but she scowled at Hercules. _Skeaze._ The cashier handed Meg her milkshake and she walked out of the diner.

When Meg was far enough away from the diner, she relaxed. The truth was she wasn't mad at Hercules. What he did and how he was acting now hurt her more than anything. She thought they had been good together, but he was different now. Or maybe this is who he really is, and who he had been with her was an act. Meg didn't know, but either way she missed _her _Hercules.

Everyone hurts and everyone feels lonely…


	22. Chapter 22

_1 month later..._

Aurora stared at her reflection while she waited for her flat iron to heat up. It was the first dress rehearsal of _Grease_. Opening night was a little less than two weeks away and Aurora thought she was going to burst from excitement. She was born to play Sandy. When her flat iron was hot, Aurora straightened her hair, did a quick makeup touch-up, then headed to the stage. When everyone was there, Mrs. Rabbit began.

"Let's start from the opening scene and run straight through," Mrs. Rabbit said.

As everyone was taking their places, Naveen strolled in late, as usual. Aurora couldn't believe Mrs. Rabbit casted him as Danny; he was always late, never prepared, and had no acting experience. As they did the run-through, Naveen kept getting his lines wrong and missing his cues. Everyone did their best to cover for him, but Mrs. Rabbit was getting frustrated.

"Naveen! What is going on with you?" Mrs. Rabbit demanded. "We are eleven days away from opening night; get your act together!"

Naveen nodded and they picked up from where they left off. _Only eleven more days_, Aurora thought. She was definitely excited, but also nervous. Mrs. Rabbit had two choir concerts a semester and choir took up a lot of her time. Running both choir and drama overwhelmed her and she usually only dedicated a month and a half to the plays. Aurora was frustrated with Naveen just as much as everyone else, but she also couldn't blame him. Everybody only had a month and a half to learn all of their lines, the songs and the choreography. The students who had been with Mrs. Rabbit for a year or more were used to this and could get it done. But the newcomers, like Naveen, struggled.

It was now time for the school dance scene. Everyone did a quick costume change, then met back on the stage. Naveen was doing well in this scene until he messed up the choreography and tripped Aurora. Aurora stumbled and fell off the stage. She let out a small scream when she landed on her ankle. Everyone rushed over to her. Mrs. Rabbit pushed everyone away and gently touched Aurora's ankle. Aurora gritted her teeth in pain.

"It doesn't feel like it's broken," Mrs. Rabbit said. "We need to get you to the hospital, though, just to be safe." Mrs. Rabbit grabbed the nearest student, who happened to be Wendy. "Wendy, call 911."

"No," Aurora said. "Philip is here, at a student council meeting. Go get him; he'll get me there faster than an ambulance will."

Mrs. Rabbit nodded at Wendy and Wendy hurried off to find Philip. Andrina brought Aurora a pillow from backstage and propped up her ankle. Aurora leaned back against the stage and fought back the tears.

_XXX_

It had been about a month since the Red and White Ball and things between Belle and Adam were going very well. Adam managed to control his temper and Belle was finally able to relax around him. They were now sitting in the library and Belle was helping Adam study for Mrs. Radcliffe's big Edgar Allan Poe test. A girl Belle didn't recognize approached their table.

"Excuse me," the girl said. "Belle, I was wondering if I could schedule a tutor session with you."

Adam slammed his fist on the table and both girls looked at him.

"Can't you see we're in the middle of something?" Adam yelled.

Belle looked around to see that everyone was staring at them. "Adam, be quiet," she hissed.

"No. She's being rude!"

Belle shook her head and looked back at the girl. "I'm sorry about that. Of course you can set up a session with me. What day is best for you?"

The girl still hadn't taken her eyes off Adam. "What are you staring at?" Adam demanded.

The girl took a step back. "Um... I think I'll just go set it up with Jane." The girl turned around and quickly walked away.

Belle turned back to Adam and gave him a dirty look. "What is wrong with you?"

"She interrupted us, that was really rude," Adam said.

Belle started gathering up her stuff. "No, Adam, _you_ were rude."

Belle got up and walked out of the library. Adam hurried after her and grabbed her arm.

"Belle, stop, I'm sorry," Adam said.

Belle pulled her arm away. "You're _sorry_? You just cost me a-"

"I know! I'm so sorry. I just snapped."

"Oh, you just snapped. That's ok then," Belle said, sarcastically. She continued walking down the hall, but Adam followed her.

Adam stopped in front of her. "Belle, I'm so sorry."

Before Belle knew what was going on, Adam wrapped his arm tightly around her and pulled her close. He grabbed the back of her head with his other hand and kissed her. Belle was taken off guard for a second, but then gave in and kissed him back.

"Belle?"

Belle quickly pulled away from Adam and bit her lip. Philip and Wendy were standing there, looking at her with concern.

"Belle, Aurora fell off the stage during rehearsal and hurt her ankle," Philip said.

Belle followed them back to the auditorium. Philip gave Belle his car keys and she pulled his car up to the door. Philip and Adam helped Aurora outside. Belle opened the door to the backseat and they helped her get in. Belle got in behind her and propped Aurora's leg up on her lap. Philip and Adam got into the front seat and Philip sped off. It didn't take long for them to get to the hospital. Philip and Adam got Aurora inside and Belle followed after them.

_XXX_

It had been a month since John broke up Pocahontas and he hadn't talked to her since. Pocahontas had been a mess for a couple weeks, then just shut herself off from everyone. Sally wanted to help Pocahontas, so she invited her to go to Pleasure Island with her for a girls' night. Pocahontas refused at first, but eventually Sally convinced her. When they first got there, Pocahontas just dragged behind Sally. After a while, Pocahontas got into it and started having fun.

"Let's go on the Ferris Wheel!" Pocahontas suggested.

As the girls hurried over to the Ferris Wheel, neither of them were really paying attention to where they were going. At the last second, Pocahontas saw she was about to run into someone and quickly ran around them. But in the process, Pocahontas bumped into someone else. He muttered something under his breath and Pocahontas noticed that she had spilled his nachos down the front of his shirt.

"Oh, my God. I'm so sorry," Pocahontas said.

He started wiping his shirt with his napkin. "Don't worry about it."

When he finally looked up, he smiled at Pocahontas. Pocahontas smiled back at him, then started walking away. Her and Sally had only gotten a couple feet away when he came after them.

"Ya know, I should get your name and number," he said, "just in case my injuries turn out to be more serious than I thought."

Pocahontas raised an eyebrow. "I'm Pocahontas."

He pulled out his cellphone and Pocahontas told him her number.

"I'm John Rolfe," he said, putting his phone back in his pocket.

Pocahontas nodded, then waved at him and walked away.

"I can't believe John Rolfe just hit on you," Sally said.

"You know him?"

"Rolfe is a senior and the most popular guy in school."

"I don't even know who he is," Pocahontas said as they got on the Ferris Wheel.

"He doesn't really venture away from his clique. Only hangs out with other popular kids, mostly seniors. And only dates cheerleaders," Sally said.

"I guess it works out then, because I have no interest in dating anyone right now."

Sally put her hand on Pocahontas'. "Pocahontas, you have to try to move on."

"This isn't about John. I'm just too busy." Pocahontas didn't even believe herself.

Sally stared at her for a few seconds. "Pocahontas, you're a terrible liar."

"I know. But, I'm just not ready. I still love John and I know he still loves me. Dating someone else would just be wrong," Pocahontas said.

Sally shook her head. "If you two love each other, then why aren't you together?"

"He thinks I'm too busy for him."

"Then you need to show him that you're not," Sally said. "If Jack ever broke up with me, but still loved me, I would do everything I had to to get him back. You need to fight for your man, Pocahontas. Now, before it's too late."


	23. Chapter 23

"Wendy's here with Jim," Charlotte said.

It was the night of the choir concert and Aurora was pacing back and forth outside the auditorium. She stopped and looked at Charlotte. Charlotte winked at her.

"Charlotte, Jim hasn't said anything to me since the ball. I've moved on."

Ariel continued to pace. She was so nervous about singing the duet. Ariel had gone over to Aurora's house every day after school for the last week to listen to her Wicked soundtrack and practice with her. The extra practice definitely showed when she sang in choir; Mrs. Rabbit and everyone else was very impressed with her. But, there were so many people in the audience tonight and Ariel had a bad case of stage fright.

Mrs. Rabbit burst out of the auditorium. "Come on, Ariel, we're about to start."

"I'll meet you afterwards." Charlotte hugged her and went to go find a seat.

Ariel took a deep breath, then went inside and took her place on the risers that were set up on the stage. The concert started a few minutes late, but that was typical of all of Mrs. Rabbit's productions. It started with Snow White's solo. When she was done, everyone applauded and some people even gave her a standing ovation. Ariel couldn't help feeling jealous. They went through all of the group songs, then ended with the duet. Ariel and Charlotte stepped down from the risers and stood in front of the microphones. Charlotte stood up and started cheering for Ariel. Ariel smiled. The music started and Snow White led in with the first verse. Ariel's heart was pounding as she got ready to sing. She took a deep breath and started. After her first verse, everyone in the crowd cheered and gave her a standing ovation. Ariel and Snow White continued singing, but Ariel was slightly stunned by the audience's reaction to her singing. When they finished, everyone stood up and cheered again.

After the concert, Ariel went out into the hallway where she was immediately greeted by Charlotte. Charlotte squealed and hugged her.

"OMG, Ariel, you were awesome!" Charlotte cried.

"Thank you."

Aurora joined them shortly after, with Philip and Eric.

"Aurora, what happened?" Charlotte asked, motioning towards her crutches.

"I fell off the stage during rehearsal and sprained my ankle," Aurora said.

"Are you gonna be able to perform in the musical?" Ariel asked.

Aurora shifted her weight. "I think so. I won't be able to dance, but Mrs. Rabbit said she's gonna try adjust the script a little to make it work."

Aurora was starting to look uncomfortable and Philip came to her side. "You should get home," he said.

Aurora nodded. "You did great tonight, Ariel."

"Thank you," Ariel said. "And thanks again for all your help."

Aurora smiled at her and left with Philip, but Eric stayed behind.

"You have a beautiful voice," Eric told Ariel.

Ariel blushed. "Thank you."

The three of them stood there awkwardly for a few seconds.

Charlotte cleared her throat. "I'm gonna go..."

"Bye, Charlotte," Ariel said. "Thanks for coming."

"Tell me _everything_," Charlotte whispered in Ariel's ear as she walked away. Ariel nodded.

"I don't usually come to these things," Eric said after Charlotte left. "Aurora dragged Philip and he dragged me."

Ariel tilted her head to the side. "But, I really enjoyed!" Eric quickly added.

Ariel laughed. "I'm glad it wasn't disappointing."

Eric smiled at her. "Not at all."

Ariel blushed again. "Good."

"Have you ever done a solo?" Eric asked.

Ariel shook her head. "No. I have horrible stage fright and can't bring myself to do it."

"You should. You're twice the singer Snow White is," Eric said.

Ariel was suddenly bombarded by her dad and her six sisters. They didn't notice Eric and crowded him out. He gave Ariel a small wave and walked away.

"You were amazing!" Arista said.

"I didn't know you had it in you," Attina said.

Triton pulled Ariel into a big hug. "I'm so proud you."

"Thank you," Ariel said as she watched Eric walk down the hall.

_XXX_

"What did you think of the movie?" Aladdin asked as he drove Jasmine home.

"That was a terrible movie!" Jasmine said.

"Are you kidding?"

Jasmine shook her head. "It's not exactly a date movie."

"Sure it is. Nothing is more romantic than watching people get eaten by zombies," Aladdin said.

Jasmine laughed. "You're out of your mind."

"I don't think so," Aladdin said. "I did manage to get you to cuddle up to me."

"Aladdin, you don't have to use tricks to get me to cuddle with you."

Aladdin winked at her as he pulled into her driveway. For the first time, Jasmine found herself wishing she didn't live so close to the movie theater. She wasn't ready to say good night to Aladdin, yet. They got out of the car and Aladdin took Jasmine's hand as they walked up to her door. Jasmine was surprised to see Helga sitting on her front steps. Helga frowned as they approached and stood up.

"Where were you today?" Helga asked.

_Damn._ Jasmine totally forgot about the cheerleading and dance practice.

"I had a date," Jasmine said.

Helga eyed Aladdin up and down, then looked back at Jasmine. "Jasmine, this is unacceptable behavior for a captain. I came over to tell you that you have been replaced as Dance Captain. And if you continue to miss practices like this, you will be kicked off the team."

Helga pushed her way between Jasmine and Aladdin and left. Aladdin reached over and took Jasmine's hand again.

"Jasmine, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you in your trouble," Aladdin said.

"Don't worry about, baby. I'm actually relieved. Being captain was too much for me to handle, anyway," Jasmine said.

"I don't believe you."

"No, it's true," Jasmine said. "I love dancing, but it's not my entire life. The spot should have been given to Esmeralda, but the former captain hated her because Esmeralda slept with her ex-boyfriend."

"All right," Aladdin said. "Well, I should get going. Good night, Jasmine."

Aladdin kissed Jasmine. "Please don't leave, yet," Jasmine said.

Aladdin smiled down at her. "I have to."

Jasmine gave him a sad puppy face. "Just stay a little longer?"

Aladdin laughed. "That's not fair; you know I can't resist that look."

Jasmine smiled. "So, you'll stay?"

"I can't."

Jasmine frowned. "Okay. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

Aladdin kissed her again. "Good night."

"Good night." Jasmine unlocked her door and went inside.

Jasmine's breath caught as she walked in the door. The front hall, the grand staircase and the entire living room were lined with pink and white jasmine flowers in vases and candles, and every inch of floor as far as she could see was covered in jasmine petals.

One of her servants handed her a note. "Aladdin had us do this while you were out tonight," he said.

Jasmine's hands were shaking as she took the note.

_Jasmine, I know these flowers are special to you and I hope they make you as happy as you've made me this last month. You mean a lot to me. Your Aladdin._

Jasmine's eyes began to water. There was a knock on the door and she quickly composed herself before answering the door. When she saw Aladdin standing outside, her eyes teared up all over again. She tried to say something, but she was all choked up.

"I love you, Jasmine," Aladdin said.

Jasmine let a couple tears fall down her cheeks. "I love you, too, Aladdin."

Aladdin picked Jasmine up and kissed her. Jasmine's heart was racing and she couldn't remember ever being as happy as she was at that moment.

_XXX_

Flynn reached over and took Rapunzel's hand as he drove them to school. Rapunzel smiled at him. Flynn had finally called Rapunzel a couple days after Valentine's Day and told her he had been so busy with work, school and basketball that he hadn't been able to call her, but he thought about her all the time. He asked her out for that following weekend and then asked her to be his girlfriend. Rapunzel was really happy to be Flynn's girlfriend, but she missed Thomas. He still hadn't talked to her since Valentine's Day. She thought that as time went on she would start to feel better, but a month had gone by, and it hurt more every day.

Flynn pulled into the parking lot. They walked into the school together, but he had to meet up with one of his teachers before class started. He kissed her cheek, then headed to the classroom. Rapunzel slowly made her way to her locker. There was an envelope taped to her locker with her name scribbled on it. Rapunzel recognized the handwriting and her heart leapt. She quickly pulled the envelope off her locker and opened it. There wasn't a letter in it, just a blue crayon. Rapunzel squealed. Thomas forgave her! She grabbed everything she needed out of her locker, then ran down to Thomas' locker. He was leaning against and smiled when he saw Rapunzel. Rapunzel dropped her backpack and gave Thomas a big hug.

"Thomas, I missed you so so so much!" Rapunzel said. "I'm really sorry!"

Thomas rested his chin on the top of Rapunzel's head. "I know. I forgive you. Can you forgive me?"

Rapunzel pulled away. "Forgive you for what? You didn't do anything wrong."

"For overreacting and not talking to you for the last month."

"Thomas, you had every right to be upset. This was all my fault; I hurt you," Rapunzel said. She hugged him again. "But, please, don't ever do it again. Losing you hurt so much!"

Thomas ran his hand over Rapunzel's hair. "I won't. I really missed you, too."

Rapunzel reached into her purse and pulled out a tin Winnie the Pooh pencil box and handed it to Thomas. He looked confused as he took it from her.

"What is this?" Thomas asked.

"Open it."

Rapunzel smiled as he took off the lid and pulled out half a blue crayon with part of its wrapper peeled off.

"Is this...?"

Rapunzel nodded. "That's the crayon you borrowed from me in Kindergarten."

"You kept it, and carry it around with you?"

"I kept it because you were the first friend I ever had. I usually keep that box in my desk at home, but I've missed you so much this last month that I started carrying it around with me," Rapunzel explained. She pulled the other blue crayon out of her pocket and put it in the tin box.

Thomas put the crayon back in the box, put the lid on and handed it back to Rapunzel. "You're the sweetest girl I know," he said.


	24. Chapter 24

Meg hadn't seen Hades since he started dating Gothel. She didn't really miss him, but she was starting to feel pretty lonely. Hades wasn't a very good friend, but at least he was always around. Meg drove aimlessly around town, listening to her music. She drove around for a while before ending up at Pleasure Island. Meg turned on her iPod and put in her headphones as she walked across the parking lot. It was Friday night, so it was pretty crowded. Meg got something to eat, then wandered around for a bit. She eventually headed to the arcade and made her way to the air hockey table. 

Meg ran her hand over the air hockey table. _"Attention, everyone! Megara is the most beautiful girl in Andalasia!" _Hercules used to be so sweet and charming. Meg smiled to herself at the thought of the memory.

Meg was startled when a hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder. She jumped and removed her headphones.

"What the hell!" Meg cried, turning around.

Thomas was standing there, also looking startled. "I-I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"No, it's okay." Meg wrapped her headphones around her iPod. "What's up?"

"My brother ditched me and I was on my way out when I saw you standing here alone." Thomas shrugged. "I thought I'd say hi."

"Hi," Meg said, sticking her iPod in her back pocket.

"Do you play?" Thomas asked pointing at the air hockey table.

Meg smiled at him. "Oh yeah."

"How 'bout a quick game?" Thomas offered.

Meg nodded. "All right."

Their "quick" game lasted almost an hour. Thomas was just as good as Meg, if not better. They stayed pretty even throughout the whole game, but in the end Thomas won by one point.

"I'm impressed," Meg said, setting down her air hockey mallet.

Thomas laughed. "Likewise."

"How did you get so good at air hockey?" Meg asked him.

"When we were kids John and I used to come here all the time. Our parents would let us go off on our own, but we had to stay together. John loves video games and we would stay in the arcade the whole time. I never got into video games, so I ended up playing a lot of air hockey and skee ball," Thomas explained.

"So, you also play skee ball?"

Thomas nodded. "Yeah. It's actually a really good way let out a little steam."

"Oh, I bet. Is that what you were doing when your brother left?"

"Yeah. I was actually on my way to cash in my tickets when I saw you," Thomas said.

"Well, don't let me stop you," Meg said. "Thanks for the game."

"You're welcome. I'll see you around, Meg." Thomas gave her a small wave and started to walk away.

Meg pulled her iPod out of her pocket and was unwinding the headphones cord when Thomas came back.

"You wanna help me pick something out?" Thomas asked her.

Meg thought his little pick up line was kind of lame, but she couldn't help thinking he was really cute. She smiled at him. "Sure."

Thomas started taking his tickets out of his pockets. Meg laughed as he kept pulling out one handful after another. He dropped a few of the tickets in the process and Meg picked them up. He handed her a handful of tickets then dug out the rest of his tickets.

"My goodness, Thomas. How long were you playing?" Meg asked.

"Only a couple games."

Meg went to respond, but stopped when she saw Gaston behind the prize counter. Thomas didn't see her hesitation and continued to the counter. Meg followed him.

"Hey guys," Gaston greeted.

"Hey," Meg muttered, dropping the tickets on the counter.

Gaston took the tickets and started counting them.

"What do you think?" Thomas asked.

Meg briefly browsed the prizes. "The silly string, definitely."

When Gaston came back over to them, Thomas asked for two cans of silly string. Gaston handed the cans to him and Thomas gave one to Meg. She started shaking it, not really sure what she was going to do with silly string. Thomas got a couple of other toys and some candy. Meg swiped a piece of his gum and popped it into her mouth; she loved Bazooka bubble gum. After he cashed in all of his tickets, they headed towards the exit.

"Meg, wait up a second!" Gaston called after her.

Meg told Thomas to wait for her, then turned and walked back over to the counter.

"What?"

"I'm sorry about Vanessa's attitude towards you."

Meg shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I'm a big girl, I can handle it."

"Well, if it's worth anything, I miss the times we all had together. You were good for Vanessa and Hercules," Gaston said.

Meg was completely taken off guard and didn't know what to say. She thought Gaston was on Vanessa's side in all of this.

"That Helga broad is a _bitch_," Gaston continued. "You're a way better girl for Hercules."

Meg looked down at her can of silly string and started fidgeting with it. "Oh. Well, I really don't intend on getting back with Hercules."

"I don't blame you," Gaston said. "But, he really is sorry for what he did. He misses you a lot, Megara."

Gaston didn't really like calling her Meg; he said it was too common of a name and Megara suited her better. He was the only one who called her by her full name. Once in a while Vanessa would, too, but not anymore.

"I know he says that," Meg said. "But he's still with Helga."

Before Gaston could say anything, Meg turned and left. _Why can't they all just leave me alone?_ She thought. Thomas was waiting for her outside.

"Is everything all right?" Thomas asked.

Meg nodded. "Yeah. I've just been trying so hard to avoid all of their drama and they're sucking me right back in."

Meg exhaled in frustration. Suddenly, Thomas sprayed Meg with his silly string.

"What. The. Hell!" She uncapped her can and prayed him back. "Jerk."

Thomas laughed and sprayed her again. Meg narrowed her eyes at him and sprayed him. Soon, the two of them were chasing each other through the park. Meg tried dodging one of Thomas' attacks, and lost her balance. She started stumbling forward into the fountain. At the last second, Thomas grabbed her and pushed away, but tripped and fell into the fountain. Meg knelt down in front of the fountain.

"Thomas, are you okay?" Meg asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Thomas sat up and Meg saw he had cut his bottom lip.

"Thomas, you're bleeding," Meg said.

Thomas touched his lip and winced. "I'll be all right."

Meg reached out and helped him out of the fountain.

"Thank you," Meg said. "You saved my iPod. You're my hero."

Thomas smiled. "It's all in a day's work, ma'am," he said in a fake macho voice that sounded a lot like Hercules'.

Meg laughed. "How can I _ever_ repay you?"

"Let me take you out next weekend."

"Are-are you serious?" Meg stammered.

Thomas nodded. "Yeah I am."

Meg smiled at him. "All right."

_XXX_

Esmeralda admired her reflection. She was wearing black high heels, a white mini skirt and a fitted black, off the shoulder top. It had been a while since Esmeralda had done any modeling and her agent set her up with a photo shoot for a print makeup ad. She was excited about getting back into modeling again. Esmeralda was running late and decided to grab some fast food on her way to the studio. When she got there, she quickly finished eating and threw her garbage away as she went inside. She spotted her agent in a corner, talking on the phone. Esmeralda made her way through all the other models and walked over to her. Maleficent hung up and frowned at her.

"What happened to you?" Maleficent asked.

"What do you mean?"

Maleficent rolled her eyes and motioned for Esmeralda to follow her. She led her over to the photographer, Lady Tremaine. Lady Tremaine finished up with one of the models, then turned to face them.

"Good lord, Esmeralda! You really let yourself go," Lady Tremaine said.

"What?" Esmeralda looked down at herself.

Lady Tremaine put her hand on Esmeralda's stomach. "You've gained a lot of weight."

"You need to lose fifteen pounds before I look into finding you a job," Maleficent said.

Lady Tremaine put her arm around Esmeralda's shoulders and pointed at the other models. "When you look like them, come back and see me."

Esmeralda slowly made her way out of the studio. She suddenly felt very self conscious as she walked passed the other models. When she got back home she stripped down to her bra and panties and stood in front of her full-length mirror again. Esmeralda only weighed 125, but she no longer had her fit body. She still did a lot of dancing, but recently she didn't have a lot of down time and usually ate fast food on the go.

_How could you do this to your body?_ Esmeralda asked herself. _You know better._

Esmeralda ran her hands over her stomach._ "You need to lose fifteen pounds_.._."_

Esmeralda didn't know what made her do it; maybe it was just her being all caught up in her emotions. She put her clothes back on, then went into the bathroom. She locked the door behind her and knelt down in front of the toilet.

_Don't do this,_ she told herself. _This is stupid and dangerous._

Esmeralda shook her head. _It won't get out of hand. I only need to lose fifteen pounds._ Esmeralda stuck her finger down her throat and made herself throw up. At first it really hurt and tears rolled down her cheeks. Esmeralda got up and washed her hands, then brushed her teeth and cleaned herself up. She stared at her reflection. She felt somewhat ashamed of what she had done, but she justified it by telling herself that this wasn't going to become a permanent habit. Esmeralda opened the door and was face-to-face with Clopin. She stopped abruptly.

"Are you okay?" Clopin asked.

Esmeralda nodded. "I stopped to get a burger and it made me sick."


	25. Chapter 25

Pocahontas walked up to her front door after another long day at work. She was so tired and glad to be home. She fumbled with her keys, then finally got the door unlocked and went inside.

"Hello?" She called out.

"In here," Kocoum responded from the living room.

Pocahontas walked into the living room and stopped in her tracks. Kocoum was sitting on the couch, talking to John Rolfe.

"What are you doing here?" Pocahontas asked Rolfe.

"You weren't answering my calls, so I figured I'd stop by."

"How did you know where I live?" Pocahontas asked, setting her purse down on the coffee table.

"You're not an easy person to track down, but I talked to a few people and eventually found someone who would tell me," Rolfe said.

"Who…?"

Kocoum stood up. "I did. I actually invited him over."

Pocahontas was still pretty confused, but was too tired to ask anymore questions. Kocoum started to leave the living room.

"I like him a lot better than that Smith guy," Kocoum whispered as he walked passed her.

Pocahontas narrowed her eyes at Kocoum, then turned back to Rolfe. He stood up and walked over to her.

"It's a really nice night; do you wanna go for a walk?" Rolfe asked.

"I'm pretty tired, John. But, uh, I guess we can just sit outside if you want," Pocahontas offered.

Pocahontas led Rolfe outside and they sat down on the porch swing.

"How have you been?" Rolfe asked.

"Good. Busy, but good."

Rolfe nodded. "I don't want to keep you, so I'll just get right to the point. I would really like to take you out on a date, Pocahontas."

Pocahontas ran a hand through her hair. "You seem like a really nice guy, but I'm just too busy right now."

"Well, you have to eat, don't you? Let me take you out to dinner, or lunch, or breakfast-whatever you have time for," Rolfe said.

"I can't. I'm trying to work things out with my ex, and dating someone else just wouldn't be right. I'm sorry," Pocahontas said.

"I understand." Rolfe stood up. "If things don't work, please keep me in mind."

Pocahontas nodded and watched him walk away. Rolfe got to his car, but then turned around and sprinted back over to Pocahontas.

"No," he said.

"No?"

"No. I can't just walk away. Give me a chance, Pocahontas. One chance; that's all I ask," Rolfe said. "If it doesn't work out, then I'll leave you alone."

"All right, John, one date." Pocahontas hadn't heard from John in over a month, so she didn't see the harm in going on _one_ date with someone else.

_XXX_

Ariel was early for her English class and got there before Mrs. Radcliffe was even there. She sat down at her desk and pulled out her notebook. Snow White walked in shortly after her. Since the concert Snow White had gone from being really smug around Ariel, to ignoring her completely. So, Ariel was surprised when Snow White approached her desk. Snow White gave her a mischievous smile, then set an apple on her desk. Confused, Ariel looked at the apple, then at Snow White. Snow White winked at Ariel, then walked to the other side of the room and took her seat. Ariel stared at the apple for a minute, then got up and threw it away. Ariel was baffled by Snow White's bizarre behavior, but didn't spend too much time thinking about it.

When class ended, Ariel gathered up her stuff. As she went out into the hallway, she saw Snow White and Vanessa standing there, looking at her. Ariel lowered her head and kept moving. As she walked passed them, they started spitting on her. Ariel's eyes filled with tears. _Why are they doing this to me?_ Ariel wondered.

"Hey! Knock it off!"

Ariel turned around to see Meg pushing passed Snow White and Vanessa. Vanessa laughed and spit on Meg.

"You're a bitch," Meg snapped at Vanessa.

"Yes, I am," Vanessa said. "But at least _I_ haven't been socially outcasted because I drove my man into the arms of another girl. Or, rather, just _inside_ another girl."

A look of anger and hatred crossed Meg's face, but she didn't do or say anything. Vanessa and Snow White turned and walked away. Meg came over to Ariel.

"Are you all right?" Meg asked her.

"I'm fine," Ariel said.

Ariel and Meg walked to their next classes together. Some of the other students stared at them as they walked by, and Ariel shifted her backpack nervously.

"When did Snow White start hanging out with Vanessa?" Ariel asked, not really sure if Meg would even know that.

Meg shrugged. "I don't know. Probably around the same time Gothel started hanging out with Hades."

The girls reached their classes. Ariel said good bye to Meg and went into her math class. She sank down into her desk, wishing she could just go home and never come back to Andalasia High School.

_XXX_

Aurora lowered herself onto her bed and Philip leaned her crutches against the wall. Aurora lied down and snuggled up with her pillow.

"Why didn't you want to go to rehearsal today?" Philip asked as he sat down next to her.

"Mrs. Rabbit said it's too close to opening night to make any changes in the script. She doesn't know how she's gonna make this work," Aurora said.

"Not even a minor one just to explain why Sandy has a sprained ankle?" Philip asked.

"I asked her if we could just write it in that Sandy got hurt during cheerleading practice, or something, and she said she'd look into it." Aurora propped herself up on her elbows. "Either way, I don't have a lot of confidence in my performance anymore."

"I know you're upset, Aurora," Philip said. "But, you're gonna do just fine. You have nothing to worry about."

"I've been practicing doing some of the choreography on my sprained ankle."

"Please tell me you're kidding."

Aurora shook her head. "No. My moves aren't great, but I think I can pull it off."

"Aurora, your ankle isn't going to heal if you keep putting weight on it," Philip told her.

"It's only for a few days," Aurora said.

Philip rested his hand on Aurora's leg. "Hon, listen to me. This is just a school play; it's not worth hurting yourself even more."

"I know; I've just wanted this role for so long."

"You still have the role; you just can't do any of the dancing. Besides, we both know you're gonna be in _Grease_ on Broadway in the future. This is nothing to get worked up over," Philip said.

Aurora lied back down. "I can't help it."

Philip brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Why don't you just relax and take a nap and I'll make us some dinner?"

Aurora nodded. Philip kissed her forehead and went downstairs. Aurora had no trouble falling asleep, but had nightmares about her ruining opening night.


	26. Chapter 26

Rapunzel was just finishing up her math homework when her cellphone started ringing. She dove onto her bed, then reached over and picked it up off her nightstand. She saw that it was Thomas and smiled.

"Hey you!" Rapunzel greeted.

"Hi. Is this a bad time?" Thomas asked.

"Not at all. I just finished my homework," Rapunzel said. "What's up?"

"I kinda have something to tell you."

"Yeah? What is it?" Rapunzel asked.

"I went to Pleasure Island with John Friday night, but he ditched me. When I was leaving the arcade, I ran into Meg and ended up hanging out with her for a while," Thomas said.

"_Meg_?" Rapunzel wasn't sure she had heard him right.

"Yeah. I had really good time with her." Thomas paused. "I asked her out on a date."

"She doesn't really seem like your type," Rapuzel said. "I mean, she hardly ever talks to anyone, and when she does it's always a negative comment. What made you want to ask her out?"

"She almost beat me at air hockey."

Rapunzel laughed. "Nuh-uh! No one ever comes close to beating you."

"She did. I had a lot of fun with her," Thomas said. "I don't know if anything is really gonna come of this date, but I think I like her."

"Then I'd really like to see the side of Meg that you see. Why don't Flynn and I join you guys?" Rapunzel suggested.

"I don't know, Rapunzel, this is our first date…"

"Exactly! I'll be there for moral support." Rapunzel didn't give Thomas a chance to say anything before continuing. "It'll be so much fun! We can all go see a movie, then get dinner. Sucker Punch actually comes out this weekend, it'll be great!"

Rapunzel was starting to get really excited. She had never been on a double date with Thomas before. Now she'd get to hang out with her two favorite guys at the same time. Rapunzel wasn't too sure that Meg was the right choice for Thomas, but she was willing to give her a chance.

"What do you say, Thomas?" Rapunzel asked.

"All right. But, after dinner I would like to have some alone time with Meg," Thomas said.

Rapunzel squealed. "Yay! I'll see you at school tomorrow. Love you!"

"You, too."

_XXX_

Meg sat awkwardly at the top of the bleachers with Thomas, wondering how he had managed to convince her to go to the cheerleading and dance practice with him. Meg eyed Helga uneasily as she led the girls through the routine. _I hate her. _

_But, you like Thomas,_ Meg told herself. _That's why you're here; you wanted to spend time with him._

"I know this really isn't your thing, but thanks for coming. It's a lot less boring with someone to talk to," Thomas said.

"Well, you _did_ save my iPod from a watery death, and I'm forever indebted to you."

"Meg? What are _you_ doing here?"

_Oh, come on! How does he keep showing up everywhere?_

"Hercules, why can't you just leave me alone?" Meg snapped.

"You know why."

Meg was feeling really uncomfortable with Hercules towering over her so she stood up, though it didn't help much.

"I'm _never_ gonna get back together with you," Meg said. "You had your chance and you blew it. It's over."

"Meg, please? I told you I'm sorry." Hercules put his arm around her.

"Hey!" Helga cried out.

Helga stormed up the bleachers and Meg shoved Hercules off of her.

"Leave my boyfriend alone, slut," Helga said to Meg.

"Hercules was coming on to her," Thomas said.

"Stay out of this and, do us all a favor, go kill yourself," Helga snapped at Thomas.

"Don't talk to him like that!" Meg demanded. "You're such a bitch, Helga."

"Maybe, But I still got Hercules in the end," Helga said.

"Because no other man would touch your dirty, used up body," Meg stated.

Helga's eyes widened and she shoved Meg. Meg lost her balance and fell down the bleachers. She felt every inch of her body slam against the cold, metal bleachers as she tumbled down. Meg landed on her back with a thud, knocking the air out of her.

"Meg!" Thomas had run after her and now knelt down beside her. "Are you all right?"

Meg was still having a little trouble breathing, so she just nodded. It was then that Meg felt something dripping down her forehead. She reached up to touch it and realized it was blood.

"Why is it that every time we hang out, one of us ends up bleeding?" Meg asked Thomas weakly.

_XXX_

Jasmine and the other girls ran over to Meg. Meg looked up at them and Jasmine could tell she was feeling overwhelmed.

"Give her some room," Jasmine told the other girls.

Coach Phil walked ran off the football field towards everyone. "What happened?" he asked.

"Nothing," Meg said quickly. "I tripped and fell down the bleachers. I'm such a klutz."

_Why is she lying for Helga?_ Jasmine wondered.

Coach Phil looked at Meg like he didn't believe her, but walked away anyway.

"Get some ice," Jasmine told Esmeralda.

Esmeralda nodded and headed into the school.

Jasmine knelt down next to Meg. "Let's go inside and get you cleaned up."

Meg nodded. Jasmine slowly helped her up, then brought her into the girls' locker room. Meg sat down on a bench while Jasmine ran a paper towel under some cold water. She then sat next to Meg and gently dabbed up the blood.

"I'm sorry," Jasmine said when Meg winced in pain.

Esmeralda showed up then with an icepack wrapped in a small towel. Jasmine took it from her and Esmeralda left.

"This probably isn't going to feel too pleasant," Jasmine said as she put the icepack on Meg's cut.

Meg bit her lip and her eyes started to water. Jasmine felt bad for her.

"Does anything else hurt?" Jasmine asked.

"My whole body hurts."

"Does anything feel like it's broken?"

Meg shook her head. "No. But my right eye feels like it's on fire."

"Yeah, you're gonna have a nice, little shiner there," Jasmine said.

Meg frowned. "I hate her so much."

"Then why did you lie for her?"

"To avoid the drama that would come with it. And to prevent any other altercations with her," Meg explained.

After a couple minutes, Jasmine removed the icepack. The cut didn't look near as bad as before; she probably wouldn't need stitches.

"Good news: you're not gonna have a scar," Jasmine told Meg. "How do your ribs feel?"

"Kinda sore."

"Typically in falls like that, your ribs get the most damage. Trust me, I know, I fell out of a lot of trees when I was little," Jasmine said. "Do you mind if I check it out?"

"Shouldn't I go to a doctor?"

Jasmine shrugged. "You can, but all they're going to do is take an x-ray. They can't really do anything about a bruised or cracked rib."

Meg nodded and lied down on the bench. She slowly lifted the bottom of her shirt up to her chest and Jasmine's eyes widened. Her entire torso was covered in cuts and bruises, but at least none of them looked serious. Jasmine gingerly pressed down on her ribs. Meg didn't react too much to the pressure.

"They seem fine," Jasmine said.

Meg lowered her shirt. "Thanks, Jasmine."

"Meg?" Rapunzel walked into the locker room and joined them on the bench. "How are you doing?"

"I'll live."

"Thomas is waiting outside; he's awfully worried about you," Rapunzel said.

Meg nodded and left the locker room.

"Ya know, it's funny," Rapunzel said.

"What is?" Jasmine asked.

"I used to look up to Helga, but it turns out she's actually a horrible person," Rapunzel replied.

Jasmine nodded. "Yeah, she is. I hope somebody puts her in her place one day."


	27. Chapter 27

Esmeralda was nervous about having dinner at Phoebus' house. She wasn't going to meet his parents tonight, but Phoebus lived on the Army base and Esmeralda wasn't sure if there were certain rules she had to abide by while she was there. Phoebus had assured her she'd be fine, but she couldn't help feeling on edge. 

Phoebus pulled up in front of his house and Esmeralda got out of the car. It was a nice house; a simple, two-story white house. Phoebus took her hand and led her up to the front door.

"Phoebus!"

Esmeralda and Phoebus turned around. A petite girl with short black hair was running up to them. She greeted Phoebus with a hug, and Esmeralda felt a small pang of jealousy.

"It's so good to see you, Phoebus. Where have you been?" the girl asked.

"MMA has been taking up a lot of my time." Phoebus let go of Esmeralda's hand and put his arm around her waist. "And I've been spending a lot of time with my girlfriend. Mulan, this is Esmeralda. Esmeralda this is my best friend, Mulan."

Mulan stuck out her hand and Esmeralda shook it. "It's nice to meet you," Mulan said.

"You too," Esmeralda responded.

Mulan smiled at her, then turned back to Phoebus. "I won't keep you. I just wanted to catch you before you disappeared again." She gave Phoebus another hug, then left.

Phoebus unlocked the door and led Esmeralda inside. The inside of the house was smaller than she was expecting, but she thought it was cute.

"I'm gonna make some linguine with clam sauce for dinner. Is that all right?" Phoebus asked.

Esmeralda nodded. "Sounds delicious. Do you need any help?"

"No. But, if you want to hang out in the kitchen and keep me company, that would be great."

They went into the kitchen and Esmeralda sat down at the table. Phoebus gave her a bottle of water from the fridge, then started getting everything together for dinner. He put a pot of water on the stove, then sat down next to Esmeralda.

"How do you know Mulan?" Esmeralda asked, hoping she didn't sound as jealous as she felt.

"Her dad is stationed here as well. Her mom home-schooled me for a year, before I transferred to AHS," Phoebus said.

"Did you guys ever...date?" Esmeralda asked.

Phoebus gave her an amused smile. "Esmeralda, are you jealous of Mulan?"

"I'm just curious."

"No, we never dated. Her dad would kill me."

Esmeralda smiled. "Good."

Phoebus laughed. When the water started boiling, he got up and finished making dinner.

"How long have you been living here?" Esmeralda asked.

"My dad got stationed here when I was in eighth grade." Phoebus set their plates on the table and sat down. "I was home-schooled the first year, but then started going to AHS freshman year. My mom wanted me to have a real high school experience."

Esmeralda nodded. "Where did you live before you came here?"

"Everywhere. This is the longest we've stayed in one place."

"Which place was your favorite?"

"Here." Phoebus winked at Esmeralda.

Esmeralda blushed and looked down at her dinner.

"I really like you, Esmeralda. You're not like any other girl I've ever met."

Esmeralda looked up and smiled at him. "I really like you, too."

The rest of their dinner was pretty much conversation free. When they were done Phoebus started cleaning up, and Esmeralda excused herself to the bathroom. She felt bad for throwing up the dinner Phoebus had made her, but she was already starting to lose weight and she wanted to keep it off. Esmeralda sat on the floor for a couple minutes after she was done, trying to shake her guilt. She stood up and pulled her tooth brush out of her purse. She brushed her teeth thoroughly, then leaned over the sink. At the rate she was losing weight, she figured she'd be done with this in a couple weeks. Esmeralda sighed and went back out to join Phoebus.

_XXX_

Belle stirred her Coke with the straw while she waited for Adam. She invited him to have dinner with her at Mickey's so she could talk to him and get to know him better. She really liked him, but just didn't understand him. Belle wanted to know why Adam had trouble controlling his temper.

Adam arrived about a half an hour late. He slumped down in the booth and gave Belle a small smile. Ariel came over to their table and took Adam's drink order.

"Sorry I'm late," Adam said after Ariel left.

"Is everything all right?" Belle couldn't help noticing he looked like he had slept in days.

"Yeah, everything's fine."

Belle started stirring her Coke again. "Adam, we need to talk."

Adam leaned back against the booth. "Are you breaking up with me?"

"No, I just..." Belle paused. "Breaking up? I didn't know we were actually in a relationship."

"I've considered you my girlfriend since our first date. I thought we were exclusive." Adam frowned. "Have you been dating other guys? Who have you been hooking up with, Belle?"

Belle rolled her eyes. "I haven't gone out with anyone else. But, this is what I wanted to talk to you about: your temper."

Adam sighed in frustration. "I told you I'm working on it."

"I know. I just want to understand _why_ your temper is like that," Belle said.

"So, all of a sudden you're my shrink?"

"No, it's not like that. But, I think I have a right to get to know my boyfriend."

Adam was quiet for a minute, then said, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Adam, please-"

"No. I don't want to talk about this with you."

"Why not?"

"You wouldn't understand," Adam said.

"How do you know?"

"I just know."

Belle felt herself getting frustrated. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She reached over and took Adam's hands.

"Adam, listen to me," Belle said. "I really care about you. And I just want to _know_ you."

Adam kissed Belle's hands. "Trust me, that's a part of me you don't want to know."

"Why won't you talk to me?"

"I'll talk to you about anything else, Belle. Just please leave this alone," Adam said.

"I will if you give me a valid reason to."

Adam looked like he was going to start arguing with her again, but stopped himself. "I just want you to."

Belle let go of his hands and stood up. She threw some money on the table. "I can't do this, Adam."

Belle quickly walked out of the diner. Adam followed after her. He caught up with her at her car. He grabbed her and spun her around. He leaned down to kiss her, but she pushed him away.

"Stop doing that," Belle said.

"Please don't leave."

"I can't be with you if you're going to keep secrets from me." Belle got in her car and drove away.

Of course, Belle felt bad as soon as she pulled away. She drove around for a while trying to make the feeling go away, but she couldn't. _Be strong,_ she told herself. But what if she lost Adam for good? She really didn't want that. Belle had actually been excited when Adam told her she was his girlfriend.

Belle drove around for over an hour arguing with herself. Finally, she decided she couldn't leave things like this with Adam. She pulled out her cellphone and tried calling him. It went straight into voicemail. She called him a few more times, but it just kept going right to voicemail. She wasn't far from his house and decided to just stop by and apologize.

Belle pulled into the driveway and got out of the car. As she walked up to the front door she could hear yelling coming from inside the house. Belle bit her lip and nervously rang the doorbell. A loud crash came from somewhere inside the house. A few minutes later, Adam finally answered the door. Belle was completely taken aback by the look of anger on his face. When he saw Belle, his eyes filled with concern.

"Belle, what are you doing here?"

Before Belle could answer, the front door flew open even more and Adam's dad was standing there.

"Adam, why don't you invite her in instead of making her stand outside?" Adam's dad demanded angrily.

"No, it's ok," Belle said quickly. "I can't stay long."

"I hope you're not Adam's girlfriend," Adam's dad said. "A smart, pretty girl shouldn't be wasting her time with this loser."

"I am Adam's girlfriend," Belle stated. "And he is _not_ a waste of time. Adam is the sweetest man I know."

Adan's dad laughed. "You're sleeping with him, aren't you? You're just a stupid whore."

Adam slammed his dad up against the door. "You will not talk to her like that!"

Adam's dad shoved Adam off him and punched Adam in the face. Adam staggered a little, but didn't fall. Belle stared at Adam in horror, expecting him to hit his dad back. Instead Adam picked up a backpack off the floor and stormed out of the house, closing the door behind him.

"Follow me," Adam said.

Belle backed her car out of the driveway, waited for Adam to pull out, then followed him. They ended up at the woods. Belle got out of her car and met Adam at his. He took her hand and silently led her through the woods. They walked for a while until they came to a treehouse. Belle watched Adam quickly climb up the ladder, but she didn't follow him.

"It's safe," Adam said.

Belle was more afraid of Adam than the treehouse, but she followed him this far…

She climbed up the ladder and Adam helped her up. He led her inside where he had a bunch pf blankets spread out on the floor. Adam sat down and Belle sat down next to him.

"Now you know my secret," Adam said quietly. "My dad has been beating me my whole life. It was worse when I was younger, though. I couldn't fight back then."

Belle fought back the urge to start crying. She put her arms around him and pulled him close to her. He rested his head on her lap and she ran her fingers through his hair.

"I'm so sorry," Belle whispered.

Adam sat up and looked at her. "No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry my dad talked to you like that and you had to witness all that."

It was then that Belle noticed Adam's lip was bleeding. She pulled her sleeve over her hand and gently wiped up the blood.

"Don't worry about it," Belle told him.

"I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to be with me anymore," Adam said.

"Adam, I wouldn't be here right now if I didn't want to be with you."


	28. Chapter 28

Aurora slowly took off her makeup. They had just wrapped up opening night of _Grease_ and she knew she had bombed it. She got all her lines right and nailed her songs, but she messed up the choreography. She couldn't keep up with the rest of the cast; she bumped into them and tripped a couple of them. Aurora focused on carefully removing her makeup and didn't make eye contact with anyone. 

"Aurora!" Wendy hurried over to Aurora. Andrina was closely behind her. "Aurora you looked great up there!"

"Really pretty," Andrina agreed.

Aurora looked at them. "What?"

"Mrs. Rabbit made the right choice with you," Andrina said. "You have the right look for Sandy."

"Mrs. Rabbit chose me for my talent; I was the best one for the part," Aurora told her.

"You have to have the look, too," Andrina said. "And you definitely have that."

"But, what about my performance?" Aurora asked. "I totally screwed up on the dancing."

Wendy looked confused, then smiled at Aurora. "Oh, Rory, with a face like that no one was paying attention to your dancing."

"Aurora," Aurora corrected. "And it's not about looks, girls. It's about the performance."

"In showbiz it's only about looks. And you're gorgeous," Andrina said.

Wendy nodded. "You should use that to your advantage. I'd kill to look like you."

Aurora stared at them; she had no idea how to respond to that. Luckily they spotted someone else they wanted to talk to and left. Aurora shook her head and turned back to the mirror. Naveen came up behind her. She looked at him through the mirror, waiting for him to say something. When he didn't, she faced him. _He's probably waiting for you to tell him he did a good job tonight,_ Aurora told herself.

"Naveen, you did better tonight than I was expecting. Good job," Aurora said.

"Thanks. You looked good tonight." Naveen smiled at her, then walked away.

Aurora narrowed her eyes at him, then looked at her reflection again. She did look pretty, but she didn't look any different than she did every other day.

"There's my star!" Philip said, walking over to Aurora.

Aurora stood up and hugged him.

"You looked so good up there," Philip said.

Aurora sighed and sat back down. "Why does everyone keep saying that? I know how I look. What about my performance?"

"Honey, don't worry about your performance," Philip said.

"Because it's just about looks, right?" Aurora snapped. She didn't wait for Philip to say anything, she just stormed off.

_XXX_

Ariel stood and cheered as her older sister, Andrina, took her bow at the end of the play. When the curtains closed, she gathered her stuff and made her way to the exit. Ariel flung open the doors and walked out to the parking lot.

"Ariel!"

Ariel turned around to see Eric walking outside. He waved at her as he hurried over to her.

"Hi," Ariel greeted.

"Hey," Eric said. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Oh. Um, I don't know. Not much," Ariel stammered.

Eric smiled. "Do you want to get something to eat with me?"

Ariel nodded. "Sure."

Ariel and Eric walked down to Mickey's. The diner wasn't really crowded, but Ariel knew once the cast of the play had changed out of their costumes they would all make their way over.

"Hey, Ariel!"

Ariel waved at her manager, Kronk, who was standing behind the counter. Ariel led Eric to a table by the window, which she knew was in Tiana's section.

"Hey, girl," Tiana greeted Ariel. "How was the play?"

"Good. Andrina did a great job," Ariel said.

"Glad to hear it. Tell your sister I'm sorry I missed it," Tiana said.

Ariel nodded. "I will."

"So, what will you be having?" Tiana asked them.

"Cheeseburger and fries with a Coke," Eric said.

"Chicken Caesar salad and a lemonade, please," Ariel said.

Tiana jotted down their order and walked away.

Eric slouched down and nervously drummed his fingers on the table. Neither Eric nor Ariel said anything for a few minutes.

Eric sat up and cleared his throat. "So, I didn't know Andrina was your sister."

Ariel nodded. "She's my older sister."

"She's been to every game this season and usually hangs out with us afterwards," Eric said.

"Yeah, she comes with me now."

"You come to the games?" Eric asked.

"Yeah, I go to every game," Ariel said. "My best friend, Charlotte, is a cheerleader. I go to support her."

"Oh. I've never seen you. I'm sorry."

"It's ok."

Ariel was used to not being noticed. Charlotte and Andrina both loved to be the center of attention, and Ariel preferred to step out of the spotlight.

Kronk brought their food out and set it on the table. "Who is this?" he asked Ariel, nodding towards Eric.

"This is Eric."

"Ah. I've heard about you, Eric," Kronk said. "The girls say you tip well."

Eric shrugged. "I'm just trying to help. Not everyone was lucky enough to be born into money, like me. These girls work hard and are still barely getting by."

Knonk patted Eric's shoulder. "You're all right, kid. You just take care of our Ariel, here."

Ariel smiled and shook her head as she watched Kronk walk away.

"Do you work here?" Eric asked just before taking a huge bite of his burger.

"Yeah, Kronk hired me about a year and a half, or so, ago," Ariel said.

Ariel awkwardly picked at her salad as the conversation dragged. She wanted to say something to him, but didn't know what. _Ask him out on a real date_. It was her thought, but the voice in her head sounded more like Charlotte than herself. Ariel took a bite of food to keep from actually asking Eric out. There was no way she'd be able to handle the humiliation if he said no. Although, he _did_ ask her to go out with him tonight...

Ariel swallowed her food. "Wendy is throwing a big party Sunday night to celebrate the play. Would you like to, um... go with me?" Her hands were shaking and her heart was racing. She clasped her hands together and hoped Eric didn't notice.

Eric smiled. "Yeah, it'd be fun."

Ariel smiled back at him. "Great."

She had never asked anyone out, let alone of the most popular guys in school. Ariel couldn't believe how easy it had been ask a guy out. She suddenly had a lot more confidence.

_XXX_

"I'll meet you right here after the meet," Aladdin told Jasmine.

"All right. Good luck, baby," Jasmine said.

Aladdin tilted his head to the side and tapped his cheek with his index finger. Jasmine smiled and kissed his cheek. Aladdin was convinced her kissing his cheek was good luck, even though he was undefeated before she had even met him.

Jasmine took her seat. She always looked forward to Aladdin's MMA meets. Of course, they made her a little nervous; she didn't want him to get hurt. But, she still found them exciting. Jasmine watched as he beat every guy he was put up against. She could see he struggled with some of them, but in the end he always won. After she started going to Aladdin's meets, Jasmine could see why Esmeralda had thought watching Phoebus fight Facilier at the ball had been hot.

After the meet, Jasmine made her way to their meeting spot. Aladdin joined her about twenty minutes later.

"You were awesome, baby," Jasmine said.

"You bring me good luck."

Jasmine shook her head. "You were doing great before you had me."

"True. But, if I didn't have you anymore I wouldn't be doing so great," Aladdin said.

"Then you should probably keep me around for a while." Jasmine winked at him.

Aladdin put his arm around Jasmine. "Good idea."

One of the other guys from Aladdin's team walked over to them. "Hey, Aladdin, way to go! Still undefeated. I know how you do it, man."

"A lot of hard work," Aladdin said. "And, of course, my secret weapon."

The guy raised an eyebrow. "Secret weapon?"

Aladdin nodded. "Yup. Jasmine, here, is my lucky charm."

"_You're_ Jasmine?"

Jasmine nodded. "Yeah, that's me, the lucky charm."

The guy stuck out his hand. "My name is Sean. It's nice to meet you."

Jasmine shook his hand. "You, as well."

"Aladdin talks about you all the time. He really likes you," Sean said.

Jasmine smiled at Aladdin. "I really like him, too."

"Well, I'd love to stick around and chat with you, man, but I gotta spend some time with my lady," Aladdin said.

Jasmine waved to Sean as she and Aladdin started walking away. Aladdin kept his arm Jasmine as they made their across the parking lot.

"You did great tonight," Jasmine said. "I'm so proud of you."

Aladdin smiled down at her. "Yeah?"

Jasmine nodded. "Yeah."

"Sadira hated that I was into MMA," Aladdin said.

Jasmine bit her lip as she got into his car. Aladdin talked about his ex-girlfriend, Sadira, a lot more than she'd like. She knew Aladdin was completely over her, but they still talked once in a while and Jasmine was uncomfortable with it. She had told Aladdin that, and he tried to talk to, and about, her less, but she still came up in conversation. Sadira had a way of getting under Aladdin's skin and frustrating him. Aladdin also compared Jasmine to Sadira all the time, but in a way where he was always saying how awesome Jasmine was compared to Sadira.

Aladdin didn't seem to notice he had mentioned Sadira, so Jasmine let it go. She knew he didn't mean anything by it. Jasmine just wished Aladdin would stop unnecessarily bringing up his ex.


	29. Chapter 29

Rolfe took Pocahontas' hand as they walked up the street to Wendy's house. Pocahontas wasn't sure why, but she felt nervous about her friends seeing her with Rolfe. She really liked Rolfe, but part of her felt like she was betraying John. Would her friends see it as betrayal as well? 

As they approached Wendy's house, Pocahontas pushed the thoughts of John out of her head. She would deal with the guilt later.

Pocahontas immediately spotted Sally and Jack in the living room. Jack was telling everyone around them some sort of story, while Sally stood by his side quietly. Normally Sally didn't go to parties, but Wendy was throwing this for everyone who was part of the play and Sally had been in charge of the costumes.

"Hi, Sally." Pocahontas greeted her with a hug. "Rolfe, this is my best friend, Sally. Sally, this is Rolfe."

"Nice to meet you," Sally said.

Rolfe was looking around, distracted. He spotted someone and waved at them. "Come on, Pocahontas." He took Pocahontas' hand.

Rolfe led her to the stairway where a couple was hanging out.

"Pocahontas, these are my friends Robert and Nancy," Rolfe said.

Nancy smiled at Pocahontas. "It's nice to finally meet you, Pocahontas."

Pocahontas started to reply, but froze when she saw John walking down the stairs. She was suddenly very aware of Rolfe's arm around her.

John stopped and frowned. "Pocahontas, what are you doing here with him?"

Pocahontas looked down; she couldn't make eye contact with him. "We're on a date."

"I thought you were too busy for dating," John said.

Robert and Nancy quickly slipped away.

"_You're _the one who decided I was too busy, John, not me," Pocahontas said.

Pocahontas could tell John wanted to walk away, but she was blocking his path.

"You moved on pretty quickly," John said.

"It's been over a month since you broke up with me and you haven't talked to me since," Pocahontas retorted.

"It goes both ways, Pocahontas."

"I _tried _talking to you. I called you, sent you texts, and even came by your house, but you wouldn't give me the time of day," Pocahontas said. "How long were you expecting me to wait for you?"

John gave Pocahontas an angry look and for a brief second she thought he was going to hit her. Rolfe must have thought the same thing, because he stepped in between them.

John shot Rolfe a dirty look. "I want to get by."

Rolfe moved out of his way, keeping his arm around Pocahontas. Pocahontas debated whether or not to go after John. In the end she decided not to. She was going to hold her ground; she wasn't doing anything wrong.

Sally stormed over to Pocahontas, grabbed her hand and pulled her away.

"What are you doing?" Sally demanded.

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you still with Rolfe?"

"I'm allowed to date whoever I want."

"But, youwant _John, _not Rolfe." Sally pushed Pocahontas towards the front door. "Go after him."

"He doesn't want me, Sally."

"Of course he does," Sally said. "He wouldn't have gotten so upset if he didn't."

Pocahontas stared at the door, but couldn't make herself move. Sally pushed her again.

"Go, Pocahontas!"

Pocahontas nodded and made her way to the door. Once she was outside, she ran out to the street. She looked down each side of the street and found John about a half a block away, unlocking his car. She ran towards him.

"John, wait!"

John looked up at her as he opened his door. Pocahontas stopped next to him. She had no idea what she was going to say to him.

Pocahontas took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

John was slightly taken aback, but recomposed himself. "For what?"

Pocahontas hesitated. "For snapping at you just now."

John shook his head and got into his car. He started to close the door, but Pocahontas grabbed it. She knelt down and put her hands on his lap.

"John, I didn't do anything wrong. I won't apologize for going out with Rolfe," Pocahontas said. "But, I am sorry I hurt you. And you need to know that Rolfe isn't the one I want to be with-you are."

"It doesn't seem that way."

"Damn it, John, stop being so stubborn," Pocahontas snapped.

"I have to go."

Pocahontas stood up and stepped back from the car. John slammed the door closed and drove away.

_XXX_

Belle sat alone on a chair in the corner of Wendy's living room. She was wishing she had taken her own car to the party instead of riding with Jane and Tiana. Of course, as soon as they got there, they ditched her to hang out with their men.

Belle's phone vibrated, signaling she had a text message. She pulled her phone out of her pocket. The text was from Adam.

_Whats up? _

Belle hadn't heard from Adam the last couple days, since she found out about his dad.

She quickly responded, _At Wendy's party. :( _

_Why the sad face?_

_I came with Jane and Tiana and they ditched me. I'm sitting alone._

_im sorry i havent called u. i was embarrassed by what u saw._

_Don't be._

_i havent stopped thinking about u._

_Me either._

_Do u want me to come pick u up?_

_Yes. :) _

Belle found Jane and told her she was leaving with Adam, then went outside to wait for him. It didn't take long for him to get there and she quickly got into his car. He took her back to his tree house.

"You're the only person I've ever taken here," Adam said as they climbed up the ladder.

It was colder outside than Belle had been expecting. They laid down on his makeshift bed and pulled the blanket over them. Belle shivered and instinctively moved closer to him. Adam put his arm around her. The cold mixed with the comfort of cuddling with Adam made Belle suddenly sleepy. She yawned.

"Don't fall asleep," Adam said.

"I won't."

Adam rested his head on Belle's shoulder. It wasn't long until Adam fell asleep on her. Belle didn't want to wake him up, so she decided she'd lay there for a little bit. She wished they were back at her house, in an actual bed. She had never fallen asleep next to somebody and wanted to know what it'd be like to sleep next to Adam.

Belle laid there for almost an hour and smiled as she felt herself falling asleep.

_XXX_

"Are you sure you're okay with not going to the party?" Phoebus asked Esmeralda as they waited for their dinner at Mickey's. 

"Well, I was hoping we'd go so I could sneak off to a bedroom with you." Esmeralda winked at him. Phoebus laughed and shook his head. "But, dinner is fine, too."

Phoebus thought Esmeralda was joking, but she wasn't. They still hadn't slept together, and Esmeralda thought she was going to go crazy. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about the night she lost her virginity to him and she wanted him.

The waitress brought over their food. Esmeralda slowly ate her dinner.

"Is everything all right?" Phoebus asked her.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"I really want you, Phoebus," Esmeralda blurted out. "Why are we waiting?"

"Because I think it's important to build a real relationship first," Phoebus said.

Esmeralda shook her head and smiled. "It figures I'd date the one guy in high school who wants to wait to have sex."

They ate their dinner quietly for a few minutes before Phoebus started talking about MMA. His coach had found about him getting into the fight at the dance and made him miss Friday night's meet as punishment. Phoebus didn't think it was fair and had been complaining about it all weekend. Esmeralda tuned him out, but nodded every once in a while.

Esmeralda needed to come up with a way to get Phoebus to sleep with her or she was going to explode. She had thought about buying sexy lingerie, but she didn't think it would work. Phoebus wanted a strong foundation for their relationship. As Esmeralda finished eating she realized what she had to do. She decided she was going to tell Phoebus she loved him.

The waitress came cleared their empty plates and Esmeralda excused herself to the bathroom. She made sure no one else was in the bathroom, then went into one of the stalls. She knelt down and leaned over the toilet. She stuck her finger down her throat and her eyes watered as she gagged.

Esmeralda unlocked the stall door and pulled it open. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Snow White and Cinderella standing in front of the sinks, staring at her.

"I haven't been feeling very well," Esmeralda said pushing pass them to wash her hands.

Snow White and Cinderella didn't say anything, they just walked out of the bathroom. Esmeralda wasn't sure why she felt the need to explain herself to them. She honestly didn't care if they heard her throwing up. She finished cleaning herself up, fixed her makeup, and popped a couple Altoids in her mouth. After the mints had dissolved, she went back out to Phoebus. He was at the register paying for their dinner. She went up behind him and put her arms around him. Phoebus took his change, then turned around and smiled at Esmeralda.

"Ready?" he asked.

Esmeralda nodded. Phoebus opened the door for her, then took her hand as they walked through the parking lot.

"Esmeralda!"

Esmeralda looked up to see Naveen and Tiana walking towards them. She waved and gave Naveen a quick hug when they reached them.

"I haven't seen you much lately," Esmeralda said to Naveen. "What have you been up to?"

"We just came from Wendy's party. Didn't see you there," Naveen said.

"Nah. We skipped this one."

Naveen shrugged. "Maybe next time."

"Maybe next time," Esmeralda agreed.

Tiana cleared her throat.

Esmeralda looked at her. "Hi, Tiana."

"We should get going," Naveen said.

Esmeralda nodded. "Don't be a stranger."

Esmeralda and Naveen gave each other a quick kiss as Naveen and Tiana walked passed. Phoebus dropped her hand and headed towards his car. Esmeralda hurried after him. He unlocked the door and she got in.

"What's wrong?" Esmeralda asked him.

"You just kissed another guy in front of me," Phoebus said.

"What do you mean? That was just a friendly peck," Esmeralda explained.

"It made me uncomfortable."

"I'm sorry. But, Naveen and I are just friends. That kiss was completely harmless," Esmeralda said.

"I'd really appreciate it if you didn't kiss other guys," Phoebus stated.

"Phoebus, it wasn't like that-"

"Have you slept with him?"

"Yes."

"How long ago?"

Esmeralda thought for a minute. "The last time we hooked up was a couple days before you asked me out at that party."

Phoebus was quiet for a while, then said, "I don't really want you hanging out with him anymore."

"You can't tell me who I can and can't be friends with."

"I'm not saying you can't be friends with him, Esmeralda. I just don't think it's a good idea for you to hang out with him."

"Why not?"

"Because I guarantee that kiss meant something to him," Phoebus said.

"But-"

"Esmeralda, please!" Phoebus snapped.

Esmeralda quickly closed her mouth and bit her lip. "Okay. I won't hang out with him."

"Thank you." Phoebus took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"It's all right."

"You just have to see things from my point of view. It's hard for me to be okay with you spending time with guys you've slept with," Phoebus explained.

"So, you don't hang out with the girls you've slept with?"

"You're the only one, Esmeralda," Phoebus said. "And I think about it a lot. Especially when we kiss. That's why I know that kiss means more to Naveen than it does to you."

Esmeralda did her best not to smile. Phoebus thought about their night together just as much as she did. She knew now that she'd be able get him in bed with her more easily than she had thought.

"You have nothing to worry about, Phoebus."


	30. Chapter 30

Rapunzel stared at her keyboard. Flynn had to go into work and couldn't go on the double date with Thomas and Meg, so Rapunzel ended up staying home. She had been practicing a couple songs on her keyboard all night, but couldn't help being curious about how the date was going. She kept her cellphone on her music stand and was constantly checking it, but she still hadn't heard from Thomas. 

Rapunzel started playing another song, but got bored and didn't finish. She got up and went over to her bed. Max was lying on her bed and she sat down next to him.

"It's just us again, Max," Rapunzel said, petting him. "Do you think the date is going well?"

Max picked up his head and yawned. Rapunzel smiled and kissed the top of his snout. She then lied down and Max put his head on her stomach. She continued to pet him. Rapunzel looked over at the clock on her nightstand. It was almost ten o'clock. _He should be home by now, _Rapunzel thought. _Maybe I'll just stop by his house and see how the date went. _

Rapunzel rolled off her bed. She picked up her phone, put on her jacket and walked down to Thomas' house. She knocked on the door and John answered.

"Hi, John," Rapunzel greeted cheerily. "Is Thomas back from his date, yet?"

"I'm the only one home right now," John said.

"Have you heard from him? Do you know how it's going?" Rapunzel asked.

John shook his head. Rapunzel started to leave, but noticed that John looked pretty upset.

"John, is everything all right?"

"Yeah."

Rapunzel tilted her head to the side. "Are you sure?"

John hesitated and Rapunzel knew something was bothering him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Rapunzel asked.

"Not really."

Rapunzel walked into the house and John closed the door behind her. By now, John was used to Rapunzel coming in uninvited. She draped her jacket over the railing and sat down on the couch. John still stood by the door. Rapunzel motioned for him to sit by her. John ignored her and went upstairs. Rapunzel followed after him and knocked on his bedroom door.

John flung open his door. "Leave me alone."

John started to close the door, but Rapunzel stopped it with her hand. "John, we've known each other most of our lives. You can talk to me about anything."

John sighed in defeat. "Fine."

Rapunzel led John back downstairs. They sat down on the couch and Rapunzel waited patiently for him to talk.

"It's Pocahontas," John finally said.

Rapunzel remembered Thomas telling her that John had broken up with Pocahontas, but she thought they'd be back together by now. She was surprised to hear that they weren't.

"She went to Wendy's party with another guy tonight," John continued.

"Aren't you broken up?" Rapunzel asked.

"Yeah, but I didn't think she'd move on this quickly."

"Well, maybe she hasn't. Maybe this other guy is just her rebound to you," Rapunzel suggested.

"I don't know. Tonight, at the party, she told me she wanted to be with me and not him. But she also said she wasn't sorry for going out with him and that she wasn't doing anything wrong," John said.

"Technically, she's not. You broke up with her, which means she is free to date whoever," Rapunzel said. "But, if she wants to be with you, then she shouldn't be with someone else. She should be trying to make it work with you."

"I don't know what she wants," John admitted. "When I left the party she came after me, but then she let me leave. She refused to apologize and just let me go."

"John, you know better than anyone that Pocahontas is stubborn and prideful. She'll never admit she's wrong and apologize," Rapunzel said.

"I know..."

"Which means you have to," Rapunzel continued. "You let her go, so now you have to fight to get her back."

John leaned back. "I can't compete with Rolfe."

"She's on a date with John _Rolfe_?" 

John nodded.

"You know he's the most popular guy in school. He's good-looking, smart, charming, respectful and-"

"I know!" John snapped.

"You don't have to worry about him," Rapunzel said, quickly. "Pocahontas told you she wants to be with you and not him. She's just waiting for you apologize. As soon as you do that, she'll be yours again."

John stood up. "She's the one who betrayed me, Rapunzel. I have nothing to apologize for."

"You broke up with her. You have to tell her that you want her back."

"No. She made her choice."

John went back upstairs, but this time Rapunzel didn't go after him. _This is what happens when two stubborn people butt heads, _Rapunzel thought as she put her jacket back on. _They both end up miserable. _

_XXX_

Meg and Thomas walked up to his front door just as Rapunzel was walking out.

"Rapunzel? What are you doing here?" Thomas asked.

Rapunzel looked surprised to see them. "Oh. Um, I came over to see if you were home yet and ended up talking to John." She frowned. "Your brother is so freakin' stubborn."

Thomas laughed. "I know."

"I guess I'm just gonna get going," Rapunzel said. "I'll see you tomorrow, Thomas. Bye, Meg."

Meg followed Thomas inside. They went upstairs and stopped outside a closed door.

Thomas knocked on the door. "John?"

John opened the door, wearing only his boxers. Meg quickly dropped her eyes to the floor.

"We're gonna be in my room," Thomas said.

John nodded and closed the door. Thomas led Meg into the room across the hall from John's and closed the door behind them. Meg was surprised to see that Thomas' room was actually very clean.

"I'm having a good time," Meg said.

Meg really had enjoyed their date. They went to the movies to see Sucker Punch and Meg had loved it. Then they went to dinner at Bella Notte. Meg was also really glad that Rapunzel and Flynn hadn't come along.

Thomas smiled at her. "I am, too."

Meg sat down on his bed. Thomas looked a little uncomfortable and sat down on his desk chair.

"How-how are you feeling?" Thomas asked.

"I'm still pretty sore," Meg replied. "The bruises have pretty much faded, but the cuts are still there."

"Thank you for standing up for me."

"You're welcome," Meg said. "Don't take anything Helga says seriously. She's just a bitch."

Thomas started going on about how he didn't understand why Rapunzel looked up to her, and Meg tuned him out. She didn't mean to, but she was distracted by his mouth. She watched it as he talked and wondered what he tasted like. _I hope he kisses me_, Meg thought.

Thomas stopped talking and neither of them could think of anything else to say. Meg looked around his room and noticed an acoustic guitar sitting on a stand in the corner.

"You play guitar?" Meg asked, pointing at the guitar.

"No. John's uncle gave that to him for Christmas, but he didn't want it so he gave it to me," Thomas said.

"Why didn't he want it?"

"It's his mom's brother and he wants nothing to do with her side of the family."

Meg stood up, grabbed the guitar and brought it back to the bed. She took a couple minutes to tune it, then looked up at Thomas.

"Any requests?" Meg asked.

Thomas gave her an amused smile. "You play guitar?"

Meg nodded. "My parents had me in violin lessons when I was younger, but I hated it. The lessons were held in a music store and there was a guy there who taught guitar lessons. I would watch the kids he was teaching; they were having so much fun. I begged my parents to let me take up guitar instead. When I turned thirteen, they finally gave in."

Meg reached into her purse and pulled out a guitar pick. She thought for a second, then started playing "Kryptonite" by 3 Doors Down.

"Do you sing?" Thomas asked.

Meg laughed and shook her head. "Not with other people around."

Thomas listened to her play. When she finished the song, she set the guitar back on its stand.

"You're really good," Thomas said.

"Thanks. But, I've only been playing for about four years. I still have a long way to go," Meg said.

Thomas got up and joined Meg on the bed.

"I like you, Meg."

Meg bit her bottom lip. "I like you, too, Thomas. You're not like other guys."

Thomas brushed Meg's hair off her face. "I'm not like Hercules."

Meg leaned forward and kissed Thomas. His lips were soft and his kiss was gentle. Meg's heart was beating so hard she thought it would burst right out of her. The longer Thomas kissed her, the weaker her body became. She lied down on the bed, bringing Thomas with her. Thomas rested his hand on Meg's stomach and it never strayed. He slid his tongue into Meg's mouth and she greeted it with her own. She sighed; it felt like electricity had entered her body and Meg wanted more. Thomas slowly pulled his tongue out of her mouth, gave her one last quick kiss on the lips and sat up. Meg kept her eyes closed for a couple more seconds and bit her lip. She wasn't sure, but she thought she actually whispered, 'wow'. When Meg opened her eyes, Thomas was back at his desk. Meg propped herself up on her elbows.

"Is everything all right?" Meg asked.

Thomas sat down. "I shouldn't have moved so fast. I'm sorry, Meg."

"Don't be sorry," Meg said. "It was kinda awesome."


	31. Chapter 31

Belle woke up just as it was beginning to get light outside. She was a little groggy and the first thing she noticed was her back was kind of sore. The next thing she noticed was a slight snoring coming from beside her. She rolled over. Adam was sleeping on his back with arm draped over his eyes. Belle now remembered falling asleep in the treehouse with Adam. She flipped open her phone; it was only five-thirty. She still had plenty of time to go home and get ready for school. Belle dug around in her purse until she found some gum. She popped it in her mouth, then leaned over and woke up Adam.

Adam groaned and rubbed his eyes. He looked up at Belle and smiled. She handed him a piece of gum. At first he looked confused, but then he stuck the gum in his mouth.

"We should probably get going," Belle said.

Adam nodded and they made their way down the ladder. They were both still tired, so it was a quiet ride back to Belle's house. When Adam pulled into her driveway, Belle noticed her dad's car and her heart sank. He wasn't supposed to get back from his business trip for another two days. Belle got out of the car and slowly made her way up to the door. Maurice was waiting inside. When he saw Belle a look of anger crossed his face.

"Where have you been?" Maurice asked.

"I was with Adam and we just fell asleep," Belle said, quietly.

"You fell asleep! Why were you in bed with a boy?" Maurice demanded.

"Papa, it wasn't like that," Belle said. "We were just hanging out and-"

"You're only seventeen, it is unacceptable for you to be out all night," Maurice interrupted. "I'm so disappointed in you. This is really bad, Belle. You screwed up."

Belle lowered her head. "I'm sorry."

"You're grounded for two weeks," Maurice stated. "And you are never to hang out with that Adam boy again. Do you understand me?"

"But, Papa, why?"

"He's bad news, Belle. And obviously he's isn't a very good influence, either," Maurice said.

"That's not true! It was an accident-"

"You _will not _hang out with Adam ever again. End of discussion!"

"Papa-"

"That is enough, Belle!" Maurice shouted.

Belle snapped her mouth shut and went up to her room. She closed the door behind her and quickly pulled out her cellphone. She knew her dad would take her phone away, so she sent out a quick text to Adam.

_I got grounded for being out all night. My dad said I can't hang out with you anymore. I'll see you at school. Don't respond to this._

After the text sent, Belle erased all the messages in her inbox and outbox. She knew her dad would read her texts and she didn't want him to see the messages between her and Adam.

When Belle was ready for school, she went back downstairs. Her dad was waiting by the front door. He held out his hand and Belle dropped her phone in it.

"You can only use your car to go to work and school. You will come right home after," Maurice said.

Belle nodded and left. She was glad her dad didn't know she tutored Adam after school; from now on that would be her only time with Adam.

_XXX_

When Esmeralda walked down the hall Monday morning, everyone was staring at her and whispering. Esmeralda shrugged it off; it wasn't uncommon for rumors to be going around about her. Although, she did wonder who they were saying she was sleeping with now.

Phoebus was waiting for Esmeralda at her locker. He looked disappointed and angry. Esmeralda rolled her eyes. He really needed to get over the whole Naveen thing.

"Why didn't you tell me, Esmeralda?" Phoebus demanded.

"Tell you what?" Esmeralda asked, working the combination on her locker. Phoebus slammed her locker shut just as she got it open. She shot him a dirty look. "What is your problem?"

Phoebus leaned in and lowered his voice. "Why didn't you tell me you're pregnant?"

Esmeralda was floored. "_What? _Phoebus, I'm-"

A sudden realization came to Phoebus. "Oh, my god. I'm such an idiot. It's Naveen's, isn't it? It has to be. Everything makes sense now. _That's _why you were protesting so much last night when I told you not hang out with him."

"Phoebus, just stop!" Esmeralda hissed. She looked around and noticed everyone around them was listening to their conversation. Including Snow White and Cinderella, who quickly hurried away.

_Of course, _Esmeralda thought. _They heard me throwing up and assumed it was because I'm pregnant. And, no doubt, they're going off right now to tell everyone Naveen is the father. _

"Phoebus, I'm _not _pregnant," Esmeralda said, loud enough for everyone around them to hear.

"Snow White and Cinderella said you had morning sickness," Phoebus stated.

"They heard me throwing up," Esmeralda said. She lowered her voice. "I can't talk about that now, though. This is not the time or the place for that conversation."

Esmeralda could tell Phoebus didn't believe her. "Don't lie to me, Esmeralda."

"I'm not. Can we _please _talk about this later?" Esmeralda was getting frustrated.

"No. What is going on? No more secrets," Phoebus demanded.

Esmeralda looked anxiously around at everyone, then back at Phoebus. "I throw up after I eat."

Phoebus' eyes grew wide. He grabbed her arm and pulled her outside. When he found a secluded spot they stopped.

"What is going on with you, Esmeralda?" Phoebus asked.

"Well, I'm definitely _not _pregnant." Esmeralda hesitated, then continued. "My modeling agent told me I'm too fat and I need to lose weight before she'll represent me again. So, I started throwing up to reach my goal weight."

"Esmeralda, that's stupid. Not to mention dangerous," Phoebus said. "Why would you do something like that to yourself?"

"I wanted to lose the weight quickly."

"Babe, you have to stop this," Phoebus said.

Esmeralda nodded. "I will, I promise."

"If you really want to lose weight, not that you need to but if you want to, I can help you with a diet and exercise plan," Phoebus suggested.

"Thank you."

Phoebus pulled Esmeralda into a hug. "Esmeralda, please take care of my girlfriend."

_XXX_

"Good morning, pretty girl."

Ariel closed her locker and turned around. "Good morning, Eric."

"How did you sleep last night?"

"Good, actually. How 'bout you?"

Eric shook his head. "I didn't sleep much. I was thinking about you all night. You were even in my dream."

Ariel blushed. "What was the dream about?"

"You were swimming in the ocean and singing to me," Eric said. "Before I fell asleep last night I was thinking about how much fun I had with you last night at Wendy's party."

Ariel smiled at him. "I had fun, too."

"Ariel, I want to be your only one," Eric said. "If I asked you to be exclusive with me, what would you say?"

Ariel giggled. "I don't know. Ask me and find out."

Eric reached into his backpack and pulled out a white carnation. He handed it to Ariel. "Ariel, will you be girlfriend?"

Ariel took the flower. "Yes."

Eric put his hands on either side of Ariel's face and kissed her forehead. "Come with me." He took Ariel's hand and they hurried off.

Ariel smiled to herself as they ran down the hallway and outside to the courtyard. A lot of the students hung out there before school. Eric led Ariel over to the big rock in the center. He took her books and set them on the ground next to it. He then climbed on the rock and pulled Ariel up with him. She struggled to stay on the rock. Eric wrapped his arm tightly around her waist and held her next to him. Ariel gripped his shirt to keep her balance. Eric whistled and everyone looked at them.

"I want everyone to know that I'm the luckiest guy in Andalasia," Eric announced. He looked down at Ariel and smiled at her. "I'm Ariel's boyfriend."

Ariel blushed and her heart started racing. Before she knew what was happening, Eric leaned forward and kissed her. It was her first kiss. Ariel was still gripping Eric's shirt and she could feel that his heart was beating just as fast as hers. When the kiss ended a couple people clapped. Ariel heard someone squealing and saw that Charlotte was standing a few feet away from the rock. Eric jumped off the rock and helped Ariel down. Charlotte ran over to Ariel as Eric was picking Ariel's books up off the ground.

Charlotte gave Ariel a big hug. "This is so exciting!"

"I have to get going," Eric said, handing Ariel her books.

"Okay." Ariel gave Eric a small wave as he walked away.

"He gave you a flower?" Charlotte asked when she noticed the carnation resting on top of Ariel's books. "He's so romantic."

Charlotte pulled a pair of scissors out of her backpack, then picked up the carnation. She then cut the stem so it was only a few inches long. She took a couple bobby pins out of her makeup bag and held them in her mouth. Charlotte held the carnation against the side of Ariel's head and wrapped some of her hair around its stem, then used the bobby pins to hold it in place. Charlotte stepped back and smiled at Ariel.

The bell rang then and Charlotte hurried off to her class. Ariel hugged her books to her chest as she walked down the hall. She gently touched her lips and smiled. She could still taste Eric's kiss.


	32. Chapter 32

Jasmine pulled up in front of Aladdin's house, hurried up to the front door and knocked quickly. Aladdin answered the door, surprised to see her. 

"I was going to pick you up for school," Aladdin said.

Jasmine smiled excitedly at him. "How opposed are you to ditching school?"

Aladdin stared blankly at her.

Jasmine laughed. "Can I come in?"

"Um, yeah." Aladdin stepped back from the door.

Jasmine set her purse on the couch and turned to face Aladdin. "So?"

"Um, I'm not opposed to ditching school," Aladdin said. "Why?"

"I just found out my dad is in Anaheim. He's gonna be on Narissa Live this morning talking about his new movie," Jasmine told him. "I want to go up there and surprise him. I haven't seen him in a while."

"And you want me to come with you?" Aladdin asked.

"Of course! I want Daddy to meet you."

Aladdin eyed Jasmine's outfit. She was wearing a long, turquoise halter sundress with gold bangle bracelets, and big gold hoop earrings.

"I need to change." Aladdin said, looking down at his t-shirt and ripped jeans.

Jasmine nodded and sat down on his couch. She had decided to wear her gold, strappy high heel sandals and was now regretting it. They were already starting to hurt her feet. When Aladdin came back down he was wearing a black dress shirt and a nicer pair of jeans.

"You look great," Jasmine said, standing up. "Are you ready?"

Aladdin nodded and they headed out.

It didn't take long for them to get to Anaheim. Jasmine had to park a couple blocks away from the studio and she was cursing her shoes as they walked up the street. She led Aladdin behind the studio to the back entrance. There were a lot fans standing around hoping to get autographs. A bodyguard was standing in front of the door and Jasmine walked right up to him.

"Hi, Razoul!" Jasmine greeted.

"I didn't expect to see you here, Jasmine," Razoul said. "Shouldn't you be at school?"

"I came to see my dad."

Razoul smiled at Jasmine. "He'll be happy to see you." Razoul then turned and frowned at Aladdin. "Who's this?"

"This is my boyfriend, Aladdin," Jasmine said, putting her hand on Aladdin's chest.

Razoul didn't look impressed. He handed them two access passes. "The show has already started, so be quiet."

Jasmine nodded. She and Aladdin quietly snuck into the studio and made their way to where they were filming. One of her dad's other bodyguards were standing by a cameraman. Jasmine took Aladdin's hand and walked over to him. The bodyguard smiled at her. She pulled out her cellphone and typed: _Where's my dad's dressing room? _She held up the phone so he could read it, then he motioned for them to follow him. Jasmine thanked him as he walked away. Jasmine closed the door behind them. The dressing room was small. It only consisted of a vanity, a couch and a TV that was showing live feed of the show. Jasmine and Aladdin sat down on the couch and watched her dad's interview.

When his segment was over, Jasmine stood up and waited for him to come back to his dressing room. Aladdin stood up as well and she squeezed his hand. Jasmine's father walked into the dressing room and his face lit up when he saw her.

"Jasmine, what are you doing here?" her dad asked.

"I've missed you." Jasmine gave her dad a hug.

"It's good to see you, dearest."

Jasmine stepped back and took Aladdin's hand again. "Daddy, this is my boyfriend, Aladdin."

Jasmine's dad shook Aladdin's hand. "It's nice to meet you, young man."

"You too, sir," Aladdin said.

"You guys want to get something to eat?" Jasmine's dad offered.

"You're not gonna make me go back to school?" Jasmine asked.

Jasmine's dad laughed. "No. I haven't seen you since Christmas."

"Let's take my car," Jasmine said. "It'll be more inconspicuous."

Jasmine's dad nodded. "Do you want to go to Carlotta's?"

"Carlotta? The chef on TV?" Aladdin asked.

"Yeah, she has a restaurant out here," Jasmine said.

The three of them made their way to Jasmine's car. When they arrived at the restaurant, Jasmine was surprised to see it was crowded. They had to wait a half an hour for a table. After they had ordered, a woman who looked like she in her forties came over to their table and asked Jasmine's dad for an autograph. She was only the first of many people who came up to them during lunch. Jasmine's dad was used to this sort of thing, but it bothered Jasmine. She just wanted to have lunch with her dad and her boyfriend.

Another woman came to the table wanting a picture with Jasmine's dad. She squeezed in between Jasmine and her dad. The other lady, who was taking the picture, complained that Jasmine was in the shot. The lady slid into Jasmine's seat, causing Jasmine to stumble out of the chair. Aladdin caught her and helped her up.

"Hey!" Jasmine cried out. "Leave us alone. We're trying to have lunch."

The women looked at Jasmine like she was the rudest person they had ever met and walked away.

"Jasmine, that was incredibly rude," Jasmine's dad said, as she took her seat.

"No, what they did was rude," Jasmine said.

"Those are my fans," Jasmine's dad said. "I have to keep them happy. Taking pictures and signing autographs is part of my job."

"But, dad, we're having lunch together. Can't you just be here with us?" Jasmine asked.

"Why do you always make everything about you? Everyone calls you the Princess of Hollywood, and you definitely live up to that name," Jasmine's dad told her. "You're very selfish, Jasmine. I take you out to a nice lunch and this is how you thank me. So ungrateful."

"But, dad-"

"Jasmine, I think it's time for you to go home. I'll call your school and excuse you for the day, but don't you ever skip school again."

"Sir, no disrespect, but I think you're being too hard on her," Aladdin said.

"Excuse me?"

"Jasmine works really hard at school and never misses a day," Aladdin said. "She just wanted to spend time with her dad, who she hasn't seen in three months."

"Forget it, Aladdin," Jasmine said. "Let's just go."

Aladdin put his arm around Jasmine as they walked out of the restaurant. Jasmine gripped the steering wheel tight as she drove back home. She couldn't believe her dad acted that way towards her. Usually he put her first, not his fans. _"I'm an actor, but a father first and foremost,"_ he used to say.

Jasmine pulled into her driveway. She quickly got out of the car, slammed the door and stormed up to the house. Aladdin hurried after her. When they were inside, Jasmine collapsed on the couch. Aladdin lied down next to her and put his arm around her. He didn't say anything and Jasmine was glad. She wasn't in the mood for sympathy or advice. She snuggled up close to him and let a couple tears roll down her cheeks.

_XXX_

"Aurora! Aurora, wait up!"

Aurora turned around to see Philip hurrying down the hall after her. She hadn't talked to him since opening night on Friday, and it was now Monday afternoon. She wasn't mad at him or anything; she was just embarrassed by the way she had acted.

Aurora greeted Philip with a smile. "Hi."

"Hi," Philip said. "Aurora, are we okay?"

"Of course."

"What was wrong on Friday?"

"I was just fed up with everyone talking about how good I looked on stage, instead if talking about my performance," Aurora explained.

"Well, babe, it wasn't your best performance," Philip said, pointing at Aurora's crutches. "We were just trying to be positive. We didn't want to hurt your feelings."

Aurora shifted her weight. "Philip, I'm a big girl. I can handle the truth."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, sweetie."

"So, you're not mad at me?" Philip asked.

"No. I was never mad at you."

Philip smiled at her. "Good. Well, I have a student council meeting. I'll call you later."

Philip gave Aurora a quick kiss and walked away. Aurora continued on to the choir room. Mrs. Rabbit was sitting on the piano bench flipping through some papers. She looked up when she saw Aurora come in.

"Hi, Aurora. How are you doing?" Mrs. Rabbit asked.

Aurora sat down and leaned her crutches against the chair next to her. "Not too bad."

Mrs. Rabbit stood up and walked around to the front of the piano. "What can I do for you?"

"I want to talk to you about _Grease_," Aurora said.

Mrs. Rabbit leaned back against the piano. "What about it?"

"Did you cast me as Sandy because of how I look?" Aurora asked.

"No. I cast you because you had the best audition."

"Are you sure?"

Mrs. Rabbit laughed. "Yes, I'm sure. Why do you ask?"

"I talked to Wendy and Andrina after the show and they told me that I got the part because I had the right look," Aurora said. "And everyone just kept telling me how good I looked."

"Aurora, I'm gonna be honest with you. This wasn't your best performance. You had all your lines and songs down perfectly. But, whenever you moved around the stage you bumped into someone, or stepped on them or knocked them over. That kind of canceled everything else out," Mrs. Rabbit said. "You're hands down the best actress at AHS right now. I'm sure everyone just complimented your looks as way to stay positive and not discourage you."

"But, why didn't they focus on my singing, or something, instead of how I looked?" Aurora asked.

"I don't know," Mrs. Rabbit said. "Why is this bothering you so much?"

"I want to be taken seriously as an actress."

"This is just high school, Aurora. It's completely different out in the real world."

Aurora nodded. "Thanks, Mrs. Rabbit."

Aurora got up and made her way out of the choir room. She now felt kind of silly for overreacting.

_XXX_

Flynn leaned over and kissed Rapunzel's neck.

Rapunzel giggled. "Stop it! We have to study."

"The test isn't 'till Friday," Flynn said before nibbling on her ear.

Rapunzel sighed and didn't protest again. Flynn pushed slightly against Rapunzel and she lied down. There wasn't a lot of room on the couch, so Flynn lied down on top her. Flynn's mouth moved back to her neck as she ran her hands through his hair. He slid his hand under her shirt and pressed his body against hers. Rapunzel sighed and arched her back.

"Do you want me to stop?" Flynn whispered.

"No."

Rapunzel was surprised at how fast she and Flynn were moving, but she didn't mind. She really liked Flynn.

Flynn continued to kiss and bite Rapunzel's neck and she held him close to her. Her whole body felt like it was on fire, but it felt so good.

"Flynn, I want to lose my virginity to you."

Flynn propped himself up so he was hovering above her. "Are you sure?"

Rapunzel nodded. "Yes. But, I still want it to be special."

Flynn kissed her forehead. "Of course."

Rapunzel pulled Flynn's face back down to hers and kissed him. She hadn't told Flynn yet that she loved him, but she did. Flynn Rider had her heart, and she wanted to give him her body. She wanted him to have all of her.

Flynn sat up. "Rapunzel, I want to wait a little bit to make sure this is really what you want."

"It is," Rapunzel said. "Do you want to?"

"Yes."

Rapunzel smiled at him, but before she could say anything there was a knock on the door. She got up and answered it.

"Thomas, hi! What are you doing here?"

"John is getting on my nerves and I needed to get out of the house for a little bit. Are you busy?"

"Kinda. Flynn is here," Rapunzel said.

"I actually have to get going," Flynn said, gathering up his stuff. He kissed Rapunzel and left.

"C'mon in," Rapunzel said to Thomas. "You want some ice cream?"

Thomas nodded and they went into the kitchen. Rapunzel got a couple bowls out of the cabinet and Thomas sat down at the island in the middle of the kitchen.

"How is John doing?" Rapunzel asked getting the vanilla ice cream out of the freezer. "Has he talked to Pocahontas yet?"

"No. He refuses to."

Rapunzel started scooping the ice cream into the bowls. "His stubbornness is annoying."

Thomas laughed. "Yeah, it is. But, that's just how John is."

Rapunzel put the ice cream back in the freezer, then took a king-sized Kit-Kat bar out of the fridge. She broke the Kit-Kat into pieces over the ice cream and slid a bowl over to Thomas.

"How was your date with Meg?" Rapunzel asked.

"Good. I had fun," Thomas replied. "Did you know she plays guitar?"

Rapunzel shook her head. "I don't really know anything about her."

"Maybe you two could play together sometime. Her on the guitar and you on the keyboard," Thomas suggested.

"I don't really play that much anymore," Rapunzel said.

"You should. I think you should forget about cheerleading and focus more on your music," Thomas said.

Rapunzel rolled her eyes. She and Thomas have had this conversation several times. "I like cheerleading, Thomas."

"I know. I'm just throwing that out there."

"It's been noted."

There was a moment of silence before Thomas said, "But, Meg was great. I really like her."

"Did you kiss her?" Rapunzel asked.

"She kissed me."

"Aw. She must like you, too."

Thomas smiled. "Yeah, I think she does."

"Are you going out again?"

Thomas looked down at his ice cream. "I don't know. I haven't asked her yet."

"What are you waiting for?" Rapunzel asked.

"I don't know. The right time?"

"Well, don't wait too long. Hercules has been trying to move in on her," Rapunzel said.

"I know. But, she won't go back to him. At least, that's what she told him," Thomas said.

"Just be careful, Thomas. They have a history together. It would be so easy for her to get swept right back into those feelings again."

"That won't happen."

"I hope you're right, Thomas. I don't want you to get hurt."

Thomas finished his ice cream and put his bowl in the sink. "I'll be fine. But, I'm gonna get going."

Rapunzel walked Thomas to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Thomas nodded. "By the way, Rapunzel, you have a hickey."

Rapunzel blushed and pulled her hair down over her neck.


	33. Chapter 33

Pocahontas stood outside Mickey's before school Tuesday morning. Every morning John and his best friend, Adam, went into Mickey's to get coffee and breakfast. Pocahontas needed to talk to John, so she headed to Mickey's early to make sure she'd get there before they did. When John and Adam approached the diner, Pocahontas stopped John.

"John, we need to talk," Pocahontas said. John just stared at her blankly. Pocahontas handed him a cup of coffee and a slice of apple pie. "I brought a peace offering."

Adam excused himself and went inside. John sat down at one of the tables outside and Pocahontas sat down across from him.

"I broke it off with Rolfe," Pocahontas said.

"Why?" John asked.

"To prove to you that he's not the one I want," Pocahontas explained. "I miss you."

"I miss you, too, Pocahontas," John said.

Pocahontas' heart skipped a beat. She took a deep breath. "John, I'm sorry I went out with Rolfe. It was wrong. I was rebounding to try to move on because I thought you didn't want me anymore. But I couldn't move on. I thought about you all the time."

"It felt like you betrayed me," John said, getting up.

John started to walk away, but Pocahontas ran in front of him and put her hand on his chest to stop him.

"John, please don't walk away from me. I apologized and admitted that I was wrong. What else do you want from me?" Pocahontas asked desperately.

John suddenly looked sad. "I want you to say it."

"Say what?"

"The only thing you haven't said to try to get me back."

Pocahontas took John's hand and put it over her heart. "My heart beats only for you, John. I love you."

John wrapped his arm around Pocahontas and pulled her close to him. "All I wanted was to know that you still love me."

"I haven't stopped loving you, John. I never will." Pocahontas ran her fingers over John's cheek. "I can't _not _be with you, John. Please don't leave me again."

"I won't," John said as he kissed her.

"It's about time," Adam muttered as walked out of the diner.

John broke the kiss and looked at Adam. "Do you mind?"

Adam shrugged, picked up the slice of pie John left on the table and walked away. Pocahontas turned John's face back to hers and kissed him again. In the distance they could hear the school bell ring, but they ignored it.

_XXX_

Meg ate lunch alone again. She thought about eating with Thomas, but there were just too many people at his table and she didn't want to deal them. When she was done eating, she headed to the bathroom to fix her makeup. No one else was in the bathroom, and she was glad. She carefully reapplied her eyeliner, then started to brush on some more purple eyeshadow. As she was finishing up, Vanessa walked in. Vanessa narrowed her eyes at Meg and Meg braced herself for the harassment she was sure was coming. But, the door opened and Tinker Bell and Charlotte walked in. They were too busy talking to each other and didn't notice Meg and Vanessa standing there.

"I guess Helga has gotten bored with Hercules," Tinker Bell said. "She hooked up with Gaston last night."

Vanessa cleared her throat and the two girls looked up at her. Charlotte's eyes grew wide and Tinker Bell smirked at Vanessa.

"I guess Gaston is bored with you, too," Tinker Bell said to Vanessa. "Are you not putting out anymore?"

Vanessa dove for Tinker Bell, but Meg grabbed her. Tinker Bell and Charlotte turned walked out of the bathroom. Meg spun Vanessa around so she was facing her.

"Calm down," Meg said. "I'm sure what they said isn't true. Gaston wouldn't do that."

Vanessa shoved Meg's hands off her. "Just like Hercules wouldn't do that?"

"Vanessa-"

"Leave me alone!"

Meg picked her backpack up off the floor and left. She couldn't help feeling bad Vanessa. She knew exactly how Vanessa was feeling right now: hurt, humiliated, betrayed. Meg spotted Gaston a little ways down the hall with Hercules and she stormed over to him. She'd be damned if she was going to let Gaston get away with this.

"Hi, Meg," Hercules said.

"Leave," Meg snapped.

Hercules walked away. Gaston started to go after him, but Meg shoved him against the wall.

"No, not you," Meg said. "We need to talk."

Meg could tell Gaston was uncomfortable, but he acted cool.

"What the _hell _were you thinking?" Meg demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Gaston said.

"Tink just told me and Vanessa about you hooking up with Helga last night," Meg said. "How could you do that to Vanessa?"

A shocked look crossed Gaston's face. "What? I didn't... I have to find Vanessa."

Gaston tried to leave, but Meg shoved back against the wall. This time she left her hand on his chest to keep him from trying to leave again.

"Why did you do it?" Meg asked.

Gaston looked seriously at Meg. "I didn't. I would never cheat on Vanessa."

"Yeah, Hercules said the same thing to me," Meg stated. "And we all know how that ended."

"I didn't hook up with Helga. Meg, I told you how I feel about her," Gaston said. "Helga is making it all up."

"I don't believe you, Gaston!" Meg snapped. "Vanessa may be a bitch sometimes, but she loves you and cares about you. She trusted you and would do anything for you. And what do you do? You take advantage of her trust and stab her in the back."

"I would never do anything to hurt Vanessa!" Gaston bellowed.

Meg was completely taken by surprise by the sudden volume of Gaston's voice and she stumbled back slightly. Gaston exhaled in frustration.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you, Megara," Gaston said. "But, I really need to find Vanessa."

"She's in the bathroom," Meg said.

Gaston suddenly looked horrified and hurried to the bathroom. Meg ran after him. They burst into the bathroom to see Vanessa sitting on the floor, with a small pair of scissors in her hand. She was crying and looking at her bloody wrist. Gaston hurried to her side and Meg grabbed some paper towels. Vanessa ripped the paper towels out of Meg's hands.

"Leave me alone! Both of you!" Vanessa cried. She pressed the paper towels on her wrist and rested her head back against the wall.

"We're not going anywhere," Meg said. 

"I don't want _him _anywhere near me," Vanessa spat.

Gaston looked hurt, but he left anyway. Meg locked the bathroom door behind him, then sat down next to Vanessa. After they stopped the bleeding, Meg threw away the paper towels and took Vanessa's arms in her hands. She had a few scars across both wrists. Med was heart-broken to see the cuts, but somewhat relieved to see the cuts were horizontal. At least she wasn't trying to kill herself.

"Vanessa, what happened to you?" Meg asked. "You weren't doing this before."

"We're not friends anymore," Vanessa said. "I'm not going to just open up to you."

"Well, it looks like you really need a friend," Meg said.

Vanessa slipped her white leather jacket back on and stood up. "I don't need anybody."

Meg got up. "Yes, you do." She grabbed Vanessa's hand and pushed her sleeve up. "This is serious, Vanessa."

Vanessa slid her hand out of Meg's and pulled her sleeve back down. "Leave me alone."

Vanessa turned towards the mirror and started fixing her makeup. Meg stared at her in disbelief. What could have possibly happened to Vanessa to make her want to hurt herself?

Meg took a deep breath and let it out. "Vanessa, Gaston didn't sleep with Helga. She made the whole thing up."

Vanessa looked at Meg through the mirror. "Yeah right."

"It's true. I talked to him. He cares about you just as much as you care about him," Meg said. "Don't shut him out. Let him be here for you."

Vanessa put her mascara in her makeup bag and faced Meg. "Gaston _isn't _here for me."

"Really?" Meg unlocked the bathroom door and opened it. Gaston was waiting outside the bathroom, looking worried.

When Gaston saw the door open he hurried over. "Vanessa, are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

"We're _both _here for you, Vanessa, whether you think you need us or not," Meg said. "You're not alone."

Vanessa narrowed her eyes at Meg. "I _want _to be alone." She pushed passed Meg and Gaston and stormed off.

Meg walked out into the hallway and watched Vanessa walk away.

"What happened to her?" Meg asked Gaston.

The bell rang then and students started flooding out into the hall. Gaston pulled Meg to the side.

"It's not my place to tell you that," Gaston said. "But, go to the cemetery Saturday night. You'll find her there."


	34. Chapter 34

As Aurora finished making dinner, the doorbell rang. She wiped her hands on her apron before taking it off. She quickly tossed the apron into the laundry room and answered the door. Philip greeted her with a smile and a bouquet of assorted pink flowers. Aurora gave him a kiss as she took the flowers. She led him into the kitchen and he sat down at the table while she put the flowers in a vase.

"What's for dinner?" Philip asked.

"Mashed potatoes with chicken and shrimp shish kabobs," Aurora replied setting their plates on the table.

Philip smiled at Aurora as she sat down. "My favorite," he said.

"I know. This is an apology dinner," Aurora said.

"For what?" Philip asked.

"For snapping at you and ignoring you all weekend."

Philip scooped some mashed potatoes into his mouth. "Mmm. Apology accepted."

Aurora laughed. "Thank you."

When Philip was done eating, he set his fork down on his plate. "Aurora, I kind of understand why you got upset the other night, but why _did_ you ignore me all weekend? Were you mad at me?"

"No. I was just mad in general, I guess."

"Babe, I don't really appreciate you taking your anger out on me if you're not actually mad at me," Philip said.

"I wasn't taking my anger out on you. I was just upset and didn't think you'd understand," Aurora said.

"No, I probably wouldn't have. But, I still want you to talk to me when something's bothering you," Philip said. "You made me sad when you ignored me."

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I promise I won't ever do it again." Aurora leaned over and kissed Philip.

Philip entangled his hand in Aurora's hair and held her head in place. She gripped his shirt. Aurora and Philip had never gone farther than kissing, but Aurora loved it. Philip slid his hands down Aurora's back, grabbed her waist and pulled her onto his lap. Aurora straddled him, still amazed at how strong he is. She broke the kiss and ran her fingers through his hair. Philip stared into her eyes for a moment, then pulled her back into another kiss.

_XXX_

Belle stared at her History text book. The words were starting to blur together. She had already finished taking notes on the chapter they were currently studying, as well as the next three chapters. Her dad was adamant about sticking to her grounding. Belle no longer had her phone or internet privileges and was so bored that she was doing extra homework.

Belle sighed and closed her book. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. She was glad her dad was working late tonight otherwise he'd be having her do a long list of chores to keep her busy. Belle looked over at her clock. _Is eight o'clock too early to go to bed?_ She asked herself. She decided it was and made her way downstairs to watch TV. Belle didn't usually watch TV, and had no idea what to watch.

Belle had been channel surfing for about a half an hour when there was suddenly a knock on the door. She turned off the TV and opened the door. She was taken completely by surprise to see Adam standing there.

"Adam, what are you doing here?" Belle demanded.

"I needed to see you. Please let me in." There was an urgent desperation in Adam's voice.

"All right, but you can't stay long. I don't know when my dad will be home."

Belle switched on a light as Adam walked in. When he turned to face her, she gasped. He had a black eye, his lip was bleeding and he had a cut on his cheek bone.

"Adam, what happened?" Belle asked.

Adam gave her a half smile. "This is what happens when I stay out all night."

"I'm so sorry." Belle gave Adam a hug, but he winced and pulled away.

Belle took Adam's hand and brought him up to her bathroom. She wet a washcloth and gently dabbed the blood off his lip. He pulled away from her again.

"That hurts," Adam muttered.

"I know, baby, I'm sorry." Belle stroked Adam's cheek with her thumb, then held his head in place as she brought the washcloth back to his lip. "I've missed you," she said as she cleaned up the blood.

"You shouldn't. I think your dad is right, Belle. You shouldn't hang out with me; I'm bad news."

"How are you bad news?"

Adam turned his head away from Belle. "I'm just like my dad."

Belle turned his face back towards her. "_You_ are nothing like your dad. He's a… a beast."

"Belle, you know how my temper gets. Who's to say I'm not going to end up just like him?"

"You won't, Adam. You're a good guy. You would _never _do something like this to another person," Belle said.

Adam stood up. "I should go."

Adam started walking towards the bathroom door, but Belle cut him off and closed the door.

"Please don't leave like this."

Belle hugged Adam and he winced. She looked up at him.

"Are you okay?" Belle asked.

Adam stepped away from her. "I'm fine."

"Adam, that's the second time you winced in pain when I hugged you," Belle said.

"It's nothing."

Belle slowly reached out and lifted up his shirt. A huge cut ran diagonally across his chest and down to his stomach. Dried blood covered his skin. Belle brought Adam back to the sink. He took off his shirt and dropped it on the floor. She wet the washcloth again and started to wipe up the blood, careful not to touch the cut itself. When he was cleaned up, Belle could see the cut wasn't as deep as she had thought.

"I should clean out your cuts," Belle said.

Adam nodded. Belle grabbed some cotton balls and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide out of the medicine cabinet.

"This might sting a little," Belle told him. She started to dab the cut on his chest and he inhaled sharply through his teeth. Belle bit her lip and tended all of his cuts as quickly as she could.

"Thank you, Belle," Adam said. "But, I still stand by what I said. I don't think it's a good idea for us to be together. I could never forgive myself if I hurt you."

"You won't hurt me," Belle stated. "Unless you break up with me. Losing you would hurt more than any physical pain you could ever inflict on me."

"I'm sorry, Belle." Adam picked up his shirt and turned to walk away again.

Belle grabbed his hand and pulled him back to her. She brought his face down to hers and kissed him with everything she had. Adam kissed her back briefly, but then pulled away.

"Adam, don't leave me because of something that _might _happen," Belle said.

Adam brushed a strand of Belle's hair behind her ear and ran his finger over her cheek. "If I _ever _hit you, I want you to leave and-"

"We'll cross that bridge _if _we ever come to it," Belle said.

_XXX_

Jasmine ran up Esmeralda's driveway. She rang the doorbell, then immediately started knocking on the door. When Esmeralda answered, Jasmine pulled her into a hug.

"We need to talk," Jasmine told her.

Esmeralda led Jasmine down the hall to her bedroom. Esmeralda plopped down on her bed and Jasmine closed the door behind them.

"I'm the worst best friend ever," Jasmine said, sitting down next Esmeralda. "I'm so sorry I haven't been here for you."

"What do you mean?" Esmeralda asked.

"I just heard that you're bulimic _and _pregnant with Naveen's baby," Jasmine said.

Esmeralda clasped her hands together and lowered her head. "I'm not pregnant."

"Oh, honey, please don't tell me you're making yourself throw up."

Esmeralda nodded. "Maleficent told me I'm too fat and I have to lose fifteen pounds before she'll continue representing me."

"She's a bitch," Jasmine stated. "But, if you really wanted to lose weight, there are better way to do it."

"I know. Phoebus is going to help me."

"God, I can't believe I didn't notice this. I'm so sorry, Esmeralda," Jasmine said.

"It's all right. No one noticed."

"How did the rumor of you being pregnant get started?" Jasmine asked.

"Cinderella and Snow White heard me throwing up and told everyone it was morning sickness," Esmeralda told her.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Esmeralda said. "You have your own problem to worry about."

"I do?"

Esmeralda nodded. "I heard lunch with your dad didn't go very well."

"How did you hear about that?"

Esmeralda went over to her desk and turned on her computer. Jasmine went over to her and knelt down next to her. Esmeralda went onto youtube and pulled up a video of Jasmine snapping at the ladies at the restaurant. Jasmine watched in horror as the video then continued on to show the conversation she had with her dad afterwards.

"I can't believe someone recorded all of this," Jasmine said. "I hate people."

"At least Aladdin stood up for you," Esmeralda commented.

Jasmine smiled. "Yeah. He's so wonderful."

"Do you think he'll be the one you give yourself to?" Esmeralda asked.

Jasmine took a deep breath and let it out. "We haven't talked about it, but I hope so."

Esmeralda smiled at Jasmine. "I actually remember the night I lost my virginity."

Jasmine laughed. "Finally! Who was it with?"

"Phoebus."

"You're kidding."

Esmeralda shook her head. "I think Phoebus is _the one_, Jasmine."

Jasmine reached over and squeezed Esmeralda's hand. "I'm so happy for you!"

"I want this for you and Aladdin."

"I'm definitely crazy about him. I love him so much," Jasmine said.

There was a knock on Esmeralda's bedroom door.

"Come in!" Esmeralda called out.

Clopin slowly opened the door and poked his head in. "Hey, Esme, just checkin' on you."

Esmeralda rolled her eyes. "I'm fine."

Jasmine shifted uncomfortably. She had gone to Clopin's junior prom with him the year before. She had almost lost her virginity to him, but changed her mind at the last minute. He got upset with her and things had been awkward between them ever since. Neither of them ever told Esmeralda what almost happened. As far as Jasmine was aware, no one knew but the two of them.

"How are you doing, Jasmine?" Clopin asked.

"Good."

Clopin winked at her, then left. Jasmine pretended not to notice and turned back to Esmeralda.

"Does Clopin know about...?" Jasmine's voice trailed off.

"Yeah. Phoebus said I had to tell someone in my family. My parents don't know."

Jasmine nodded. "I can't believe Clopin found out before I did. Have I been _that_ absent in your life lately?"

"No. I figured you had a lot on your mind with your dad and all, and I didn't want to burden you with anything else," Esmeralda said.

"Esmeralda, you will _never _be a burden to me. You can always come to me with anything, no matter what's going on with me," Jasmine told her. 


	35. Chapter 35

"I'll see you tomorrow, Sally." Pocahontas said as they clocked out. 

"See ya." Sally hurried out to the parking lot where Jack was waiting for her.

"Pocahontas, can you come back here?" Thomas called out.

Pocahontas sighed and made her way to the back. Thomas had Meeko in a cat carrier on the table.

"He's ready to go home with you," Thomas said.

Pocahontas let out a small squeal. "He is?"

"Yup." Thomas picked up the cat carrier and handed it to Pocahontas.

"Oh, Thomas, thank you." Pocahontas gave Thomas a one-armed hug.

"You're welcome."

Pocahontas brought Meeko out to her car and set him on the passenger seat. She drove carefully so the cat carrier wouldn't fall off the seat. Meeko stirred in the carrier and let out a small noise to let her know he wasn't happy.

"I know, sweetie. We're almost home," Pocahontas told him.

Pocahontas pulled into her driveway and got out of the car. She walked around the front of the car, opened the passenger side door and picked up Meeko. She then hurried into the house. She couldn't wait for everyone to meet him.

Nakoma was lying on the couch reading a magazine, but Pocahontas didn't see anybody else. Pocahontas brought Meeko over to her. Nakoma sat up as Pocahontas set the cat carrier on the couch.

"Aw! Who is this little guy?" Nakoma asked.

"Meeko. Someone brought him into the shelter a while ago with a broken leg. Thomas has been taking care of him for me," Pocahontas explained.

Pocahontas' aunt and uncle came in from the backyard then and joined the girls in the living room.

"Hi, Pocahontas," her aunt greeted her. "How was work?"

"Good." Pocahontas unlocked the cat carrier and pulled out Meeko. He looked around with wide eyes and snuggled close to Pocahontas.

"What is that?" Pocahontas' aunt asked.

"This is Meeko."

"Why is there a rodent in my house?" Pocahontas' uncle asked.

"He's mine."

"Absolutely not, Pocahontas," her uncle said. "That thing is not staying here."

"Why not?" Pocahontas asked.

"It's a raccoon, sweetie, not a pet," Pocahontas' aunt said. "I'm sorry, but it can't stay here. Please get rid of it."

Pocahontas pet Meeko and then put him back in the cat carrier. She bought him outside and sat down on the front porch step. She pulled out her phone and called Thomas.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Thomas, it's Pocahontas. I need another favor from you," Pocahontas said.

"Sure. What is it?"

"My aunt and uncle said I can't keep Meeko here. Can he stay with you?" Pocahontas asked.

"Oh, I don't know, Pocahontas. I don't know if my dad would like that. But, I'll ask. Hold on."

Thomas was gone for a few minutes. Pocahontas took Meeko out of the cat carrier and held him on her lap. He looked up at her with big eyes and she kissed his nose.

"It'll be okay," she whispered to him.

"Pocahontas?"

"Yeah?"

"My dad said you can bring him here," Thomas said. "He can stay in the shed, but you have to feed him and take care of him."

"I will. Thank you so much! I'll be right over."

Pocahontas got to John and Thomas' house in record time. Thomas was waiting for her outside. He brought her around back to the shed. There was a towel and some newspaper spread out on the floor. There was also a bowl of water and some lettuce on a plate. Pocahontas let Meeko out and set the carrier to the side. Thomas opened the window enough for Meeko to have some air, but wouldn't be able to get out.

"I'll be back to check on you, sweetie," Pocahontas said.

Pocahontas and Thomas made their way back into the house. As soon as Pocahontas saw Thomas and John's dad she gave him a hug.

"Thank you so much," she told him.

"You're welcome," he said. "Just remember that he's your responsibility, Pocahontas, not ours."

"I know."

"Who's your responsibility?" John asked, coming downstairs.

"Meeko," Pocahontas said. "He's staying in your shed."

John laughed. "I like him."

Pocahontas smiled at him. "Looks like you're gonna be seeing a lot more of me. I'll be coming by every day to check on him and feed him."

John kissed her forehead. "It'll be nice to have you around."

_XXX_

Ariel couldn't sit still. It was the night of the trip to see _Wicked_. Not enough people in choir had signed up to go, so Mrs. Rabbit extended the invite to the drama club as well. Now Ariel was sitting in the theater with Andrina, Aurora and Wendy. Aurora and Andrina were talking excitedly to the people sitting behind them and every once in a while they'd randomly start singing one of the songs from the musical. Wendy was looking around the theater in awe.

"This place is so beautiful," Wendy said to Ariel.

"Yes it is," Ariel agreed.

The lights dimmed and everyone stopped talking. Ariel watched the play, completely amazed. She had never seen any plays or musicals outside of school productions and she absolutely loved it.

When it was time for the intermission, Aurora and Andrina quickly got up and made their way to the bathroom. Wendy stayed behind with Ariel. Ariel noticed Wendy was fidgeting nervously with something.

"Are you enjoying the play?" Ariel asked Wendy.

Wendy nodded, but didn't look up from whatever was in her hands.

"Is everything all right?" Ariel asked.

"It's just..." Wendy hesitated. "It's just Peter. I think I'm losing him to Tinker Bell."

"I don't know Peter very well, but I know you deserve someone a lot better than him," Ariel said. "Maybe someone like Jim."

Wendy shook her head. "That would just be weird. Jim is like my brother."

"Then just be single," Ariel said. "Focus on school and your acting. Those things are gonna get you a lot further in life than some immature boy who can't make up his mind about which girl he likes better."

"Maybe you're right, Ariel." Wendy said, but she didn't look up and continued fidgeting.

"What is that?" Ariel asked pointing at Wendy's hands.

Wendy smiled and held up an acorn. "It's a kiss."

Ariel stared at her blankly. "I don't understand."

"You're not supposed to. It's an inside thing between Peter and me."

"The line in the bathroom is ridiculous!" Andrina announced as she and Aurora returned to their seats.

As the theater darkened again and _Wicked _started back up, Ariel got a text. She snuck her phone out of her pocket and cupped her hand around the screen so the light didn't distract anyone.

_A-_

_I'm gonna pick u up from the school tonite. Cant wait to see you._

_-E_

Ariel smiled. She was glad Eric was going to be the one picking her up. She wanted to spend as much time with him as she possibly could.

_I'm looking 4ward 2 it, Eric. I miss u._

_I miss u 2._

_XXX_

Esmeralda sat down on the front steps and Mulan handed her a bottle of water. Esmeralda took a long drink, then set the water down next to her.

"I can't believe how out of shape I am," Esmeralda said.

Mulan laughed. "You're not out of shape, Esmeralda. You just aren't used to such an intense exercise routine. But, if you stick with it, it'll get better."

"Do you do that every day?" Esmeralda asked.

Mulan shook her head. "That's just the basic routine. My dad started me on that routine a few years ago. My daily workout is much harder."

Esmeralda looked at her in disbelief. "Well, kudos to you."

The girls were quiet for several minutes while Esmeralda caught her breath. Her entire body was sore and her arms legs felt like wet noodles.

"How is Phoebus?" Mulan finally asked.

"He's good," Esmeralda replied. "Don't you talk to him?"

"No. I haven't seen him or heard from him in a while. He's been busy," Mulan said.

"I'm sorry. That's probably my fault," Esmeralda said.

Mulan smiled at her. "Yeah, it is. But, it's all right. I'm glad Phoebus has found someone. He deserves someone good, unlike the tramp he lost his virginity to."

Esmeralda tilted her head to the side. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"I don't know much about her. All I know is he went out of his way to make the night perfect for her and she never talked to him again after that night," Mulan said.

Esmeralda opened her mouth to say something, but changed her mind. She wasn't sure how Mulan would react if she found it had been Esmeralda, and she really wanted Phoebus' best friend to like her.

"Hi, Mulan."

Esmeralda and Mulan looked up. A soldier, who appeared to be only a couple years older than them, was walking passed Mulan's house.

"Hi, Shang," Mulan greeted.

Shang waved at her and Mulan blushed. When Shang was out of ear shot, Mulan sighed. Esmeralda cleared her throat and raised an eyebrow at Mulan.

"What?" Mulan asked.

"You like him, don't you?" Esmeralda accused.

"No, I don't. He's just-"

Esmeralda laughed. "Mulan, please. You're not fooling anybody."

"It's irrelevant," Mulan said. "He doesn't see me like that."

"He likes you," Esmeralda stated.

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do," Esmeralda said. "I'm sitting here in nothing but short shorts and a sports bra and he didn't even look at me. Either he likes you, or he's gay."

Mulan looked in the direction Shang had been walking. "You think?"

"I know."

Mulan turned back to Esmeralda. "Well, what do I do?"

"Flirt with him, boost his ego," Esmeralda said. "But, whatever you do, always _always_ be yourself. Never pretend to be somebody else to impress a boy. Either he likes all of you, or he's not worth your time."

"I don't know, Esmeralda. I've never dated anyone before…"

Esmeralda thought for a moment. "I'll make you a deal. You help me tone up and I'll help you get Shang."

Mulan smiled at her. "Deal."


	36. Chapter 36

Rapunzel hung around after practice on Saturday until everyone had left, except Helga.

"Helga, can I talk to you?" Rapunzel asked.

Helga sighed. She dropped her bag on the floor and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Make it quick."

Rapunzel was terrified of Helga and everything inside her was telling her to just leave. But, she needed to confront Helga.

"Helga, I think your behavior..." Rapunzel paused. No, that was too nice. "You're a bitch, Helga."

"And you're an airhead. What's your point?"

Rapunzel narrowed her eyes. "What has gotten into you? First you steal Hercules from Meg. Then you're..._mean _to my best friend and push Meg down the bleachers. And now you're telling everyone you hooked up with Gaston when you didn't. Why? To ruin his relationship with Vanessa? To hurt her? To make him unhappy?"

Helga picked up her bag and started walking away. Rapunzel grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"I'm not done," Rapunzel stated. "I want to know _why _you're doing these things. Did Meg and Vanessa do something to you? Are you just jealous of them? Or does it make you happy to make other people miserable?"

"Why do you care?" Helga asked.

"Because what you're doing isn't right. You can't treat other people like this," Rapunzel replied. "You're giving the rest of us cheerleaders a bad name."

Helga nodded. "I see. So, this is all about your reputation."

"No-"

"You don't want everyone to think you're a bitch like I am," Helga continued. "You don't care about Meg or Vanessa."

"I care-"

Helga laughed. "No, you don't. _You're just like me_. But, it's okay. Only the strong make it through high school, Rapunzel. You gotta do what's necessary to survive."

"You're wrong. I've made it this far without having to bring anyone down," Rapunzel said.

Helga slowly shook her head. "You'll see that I'm right soon enough. I bet that boy toy of yours doesn't make it to graduation. He has 'suicide' written all over him. What's his name? Thomas?" She shrugged. "He should just get it over with. Put himself out of his misery and do the rest of us a favor."

Rapunzel's eyes grew wide in anger and before she could think it through, she slapped Helga as hard as she could.

Helga smiled at Rapunzel. "You're the second girl who's had to stand up for him. He's too weak to defend himself."

"Listen to me, Helga Sinclair. You can say or do whatever you want to me, but you leave Thomas alone," Rapunzel demanded.

"All right, Rapunzel. For starters, you're off the squad. And I will personally make sure you don't get on it next year, either," Helga said.

Helga pushed passed Rapunzel and Rapunzel was left alone. She sighed and sank down to the floor. _No good deed goes unpunished... _

Rapunzel had been working so hard to be head cheerleader senior year and now that had all been taken away from her. She should have known Helga would do something like this. It almost made Rapunzel think twice about standing up for other people. But, Rapunzel believed in karma and she knew Helga would get what was coming to her eventually.

_XXX_

Meg walked slowly through the cemetery, looking around. It was dark, but she found Vanessa pretty easily. She was kneeling on a grave holding a small candle.

"Vanessa?"

Vanessa looked up and Meg could see tears glistening in the dim glow. Meg glanced down at the grave marker, but it was too dark to read the name on it. When Meg looked back at Vanessa, Vanessa was still staring at her. Meg didn't know what to say.

Vanessa looked down at her candle. "Gaston sent you."

"He didn't send me," Meg said. "He just told me where to find you."

"I want to be alone."

Meg turned around, contemplating whether or not to leave. She took a deep breath and turned back towards Vanessa. Meg knelt down and put her hand on Vanessa's shoulder.

"Vanessa, what happened?" Meg asked.

Vanessa looked tired and beaten down. "This is my sister's grave."

"I didn't know you had a sister."

"No one knew. She was my twin sister. Her name was Ursula," Vanessa said. "My dad knocked up my mom, but refused to marry her. He wanted us, though. When my mom gave birth to twins, they split us up. My dad took Ursula to New York and I stayed with my mom here. We were just babies then and I never really got to know Ursula. We wrote each other all the time and talked on the phone, but never actually met. Around freshman year Ursula became more withdrawn. I started to hear from her less and less, until I just stopped hearing from her altogether. Then this past Halloween I got an email from Ursula. She said our father had been sexually abusing her since she was thirteen and he said that if she told anyone he would hurt our mother and me. So, she stayed quiet. But, Halloween our dad threw a party with some of his friends and he let each of them rape my sister. Ursula couldn't take it anymore. She went up to her room and slit her wrists." Vanessa wiped a tear off her cheek. "My mom and I went to the funeral in New York, but my mom wanted her body here so she'd be close to us."

"Vanessa, I'm so sorry," Meg whispered.

"I know you are. Everyone said they were sorry, except the man who was actually responsible for her death," Vanessa said. "They arrested my dad and he admitted he did it, but didn't feel guilty about it."

Meg wrapped her arms around Vanessa and pulled her close.

"I should have been there for her. She shouldn't have to go through this alone," Vanessa said. "I mean, that could have been me. If my dad had taken me instead of Ursula, I would have been the one they found in lying in bed with my wrists slit open. And it'd be my body lying cold in the ground right now. Ursula was completely alone and the only time she ever felt relief was when she cut herself. That's why I started cutting myself and trying to push people away. Ursula was a better person than I am and looked what happened to her? Why do I deserve to be happy?"

Meg felt Vanessa sobbing in her arms. "Do you remember Katrina Van Tassel?" Vanessa didn't say anything, but Meg knew she remembered her. "We were at one of Eric's parties at the beginning of the school year. But a bunch of college guys crashed it, so we left. We were walking down the beach when we saw Brom Bones trying to rape Katrina. He had her pinned down and she was screaming and crying. We rushed over there and you kicked his ass. Brom went to jail and you saved Katrina."

"But, I couldn't even save my own sister," Vanessa said.

"Vanessa, there was nothing you could have done to help Ursula. You didn't know what was going on," Meg said. "But, you saved Katrina. If it hadn't been for you, the Van Tassels would have had to bury a daughter as well."

"But, being happy makes me feel guilty."

"It shouldn't. Ursula would want you to be happy. How do you think she'd feel if she could see you like this?" Meg asked.

"I'm not trying to kill myself," Vanessa said, quietly. "I don't even like the pain. I do it for her."

"Everyone has to grieve in their own way," Meg said. "But this has gone too far. You have to stop. And if you won't stop for yourself, or Gaston,or me, do it for your mom. I know she's not strong enough to lose _both _of her daughters."

Vanessa gently pulled away from Meg. "You're right. I never even thought about my mom."

"Vanessa?"

Both girls turned around to see Gaston standing over them. He sat down next to Vanessa and she threw her arms around his neck. Gaston hugged her tightly. Meg decided she should leave them alone and got up. She started to walk away, but Vanessa came after her.

"Thank you for being here for me, even though I was pushing you away," Vanessa said.

Meg smiled at her. "Real friends can't be pushed away."

Vanessa shook her head. "Real friends don't try to push their friends away. Megara, I'm sorry."

"I forgave you a long time ago, Nessa."


	37. Chapter 37

Ariel stared at the books in her locker trying to remember what she had for homework. There were still three more days until Spring Break, but her brain was already on vacation. She was sure she had Math homework; Mr. Crane always gave out homework. Ariel started to reach for her Math book when a pair of hands covered her eyes. 

"Hi, Eric."

Eric wrapped his arms around and kissed her cheek. Ariel turned her head slightly to kiss his lips, then took her Math book out of her locker.

Eric leaned on his arm against the locker next to Ariel's. "What are your plans for Spring Break?" he asked her.

"I don't have any," Ariel said, zipping her backpack.

"Perfect! A bunch of us are going to Florida, you should come with us," Eric said.

Ariel closed her locker and looked at him. "I don't know, Eric. I don't think my dad would go for that. And, even if he did, I can't afford it."

"Would you want to go?" Eric asked.

"Of course!"

Eric smiled at her. "All right, then. You talk to your dad and I'll take care of your plane ticket."

Before Ariel could object, Eric hurried off. Ariel sighed and made her way outside, where her dad was waiting for her.

"Hi, Daddy!" Ariel greeted as she got in his car.

"Hi, pumpkin. How was school?" Triton asked.

"Good," Ariel responded. "Daddy, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Eric invited me to go to Florida with him and a bunch of other kids from school. Can I go?" Ariel asked.

"Oh, Ariel, I would love to let you go," Triton said. "But, this is just too last minute; we can't afford it."

"Well, Eric said he would pay for my ticket."

"No, Ariel. If he pays your way then he'll think you owe him something in return..."

Triton's voice trailed off, but Ariel knew what he was getting at.

"Daddy, Eric isn't like that. Besides, he's paying for other people's tickets, too." Ariel had no idea if that was true, but knowing Eric it probably was.

"I don't know, Ariel."

"Please, Daddy? Charlotte's going, too."

"She is?" Triton seemed a little more relaxed. "All right, Ariel, you can go. But, I want you home for Easter so you can't leave until Monday."

"Thank you so much, Daddy!"

When they got home, Ariel went up to her room to call Eric.

Eric answered pretty quickly. "Hi, Ariel. What's up?"

"My dad said I can go to Florida, but he wants me home for Easter. I can't fly out until Monday," Ariel told him.

"That's fine, babe. I'm leaving on Friday, but there are a few people coming in on Monday. I'll book you a flight with one of them," Eric said.

"Thank you, Eric," Ariel said.

"It's no problem at all," Eric said. "I'm gonna go ahead and get this coordinated and buy your ticket tonight. I'll text the flight info to you later."

"Okay, sweetie. I'll talk to you then. Thanks again."

"You're welcome. Anything for my special girl."

_XXX_

Aurora held a pink sundress up in front of her and admired it in the full-length mirror. She then held up a blue sundress. She turned around and held up both dresses for Belle.

"Which one do you like better?" Aurora asked.

"I like the blue one, but you look better in pink," Belle said.

Aurora looked at both dresses then shrugged. "I'll buy both."

"Okay."

Aurora looked around. "I gotta look at swimsuits."

"But, you already have three," Belle said.

Aurora laughed. "I'm going on vacation; I need at least two new ones."

"Where are you getting all this money?" Belle asked.

Aurora spotted the swimsuits and pulled Belle towards them. "I save all year for my trip to Florida with Philip."

Aurora flipped through the racks of the swimsuits. She decided on two pink bikinis. She looked over at Belle, who was gazing longingly at a blue bikini with a rhinestone rose on it. Aurora felt bad for her. Philip had invited Belle and Adam to come to Florida with everyone this year. Belle had worked extra hours to save up money for her and Adam to go; but then her dad grounded her and now she couldn't go.

"My break is just about over," Belle said. "I have to get back to work."

"All right. I'll see you at school tomorrow." Aurora gave her best friend a hug and watched her leave.

Aurora grabbed the bikini Belle had been looking at. She then wandered around and picked out a couple of tank tops, shorts, skirts and sundresses for Belle, as well. Even if Belle couldn't go on the trip, she should still get some new clothes.

"How did I know I'd find you here?"

Aurora turned around and smiled at Philip. "Where else would I be three days before Spring Break?"

Philip eyed her armful of clothes. "You don't wear yellow," he said pointing at the yellow sundress draped over her arm.

"That one's for Belle."

"She's coming?"

Aurora shook her head. "No. But, I wanted to cheer her up."

"That's a bummer," Philip said. "Your best friend finally _wants_ to do Spring Break with us, and she can't go."

Aurora sighed. "Yeah, it's really unfortunate."

Aurora and Philip made their way to the counter to checkout. Aurora wished Belle was going on the trip with her, but she wasn't going to let her absence ruin it for her. Belle had never gone with them before and Aurora was still going to enjoy her vacation like she did every year.

_XXX_

Pocahontas set up her Math homework on the table on John's back patio, while John let Meeko out of the shed. Thomas' mom brought out some lemonade for them.

"Will you be joining us for Easter?" she asked Pocahontas.

"I'll be here for dinner," Pocahontas replied. "I have to go to church with my aunt and uncle in the morning."

"Very well," she said as she headed back inside.

John joined Pocahontas at the table. He sat down and scooted his chair closer to her. He started to explain the Math homework to her, but Pocahontas couldn't concentrate. She watched Meeko wander around John's yard.

"I wanna do something for Spring Break," Pocahontas said.

John looked up at her and frowned. "Pocahontas, you need to focus on your homework now. We can discuss Spring Break afterwards."

Pocahontas suffered through her Math lesson, but as soon as they were done with the homework, she brought up Spring Break again.

"What do you usually do for Spring Break?" Pocahontas asked.

John sighed. "Nothing."

Pocahontas slumped down in her chair and drummed her fingers on the arm rests. "We should think of something to do. I don't really wanna just sit around all week."

"Well, we can..." John hesitated. Pocahontas could tell he was probably going to regret whatever it was he was about to offer. "Philip was saying that a bunch of people from school are going to Florida."

Pocahontas nearly jumped out of her chair. "Let's go!"

John groaned. "I can't really affo-"

"Don't even say you can't afford it, John Smith, because I know that's a lie," Pocahontas said, cutting him off.

"Will your aunt and uncle let you go?" John asked.

"We'd have to leave after Easter, but they can't really tell me I _can't_ go. It's up to my dad and I know he won't care," Pocahontas said.

"Can _you _afford it?" John asked.

"Of course; I work all the time," Pocahontas said. "You know that better than anyone, John."

John sighed in defeat. "I guess we're going to Florida for Spring Break."


	38. Chapter 38

"Three minutes."

Esmeralda had gone to Phoebus' after school and while they were hanging out outside he got a call and went inside. Esmeralda had been waiting for him when his neighbor's six-year-old daughter, Penny, had come over to show Esmeralda her new hula hoop. Penny couldn't keep it going for very long and had asked Esmeralda how long she could do it.

"You can't keep it going for three minutes," Penny said.

Esmeralda held out her hand and Penny gave her the hula hoop. Esmeralda slipped the hula hoop around her. It was kind of small, but she could work with it. Esmeralda spun the hula hoop around her, then started rocking her hips. Penny's eyes grew wide as she watched her. After a couple minutes Phoebus came back outside. Esmeralda immediately stopped and let the hula hoop fall to the ground.

"Wow!" Penny breathed.

"Penny!"

Penny turned around. "Coming, Mommy!" she picked up her hula hoop and ran next door. "Mommy, that lady can hula hoop for _three whole minutes_!"

Esmeralda laughed as she walked over to Phoebus.

Phoebus shook his head. "You realize Penny is gonna be coming over here everyday, now, asking for you?"

Esmeralda sat down on the porch swing. "Well, you're gonna have to tell her I won't be around next week."

Phoebus sat down next to her. "You have plans for Spring Break?"

Esmeralda nodded. "Some of us go to Florida for Spring Break every year."

Phoebus raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you all too young to be getting a hotel and staying unsupervised in another state?"

"We all stay at Eric's vacation home and his parents are there," Esmeralda said. "Do you wanna come? Jasmine and I are getting tickets later tonight."

"Actually, I was going to ask you if you wanted to go camping with me. We have a cabin a couple hours from here that my dad said I could use it for the week," Phoebus said.

Esmeralda bit her lip. "That actually sounds great. But, I was really looking forward to spending the week with Jasmine."

"Invite her to come with."

"Really?" Esmeralda thought for a moment. "She'll probably want to bring Aladdin, though."

"We have enough room for about ten people," Phoebus said.

Esmeralda pulled out her phone and sent Jasmine a text.

_Phoebus invited us to stay in his cabin for Spring Break. Wanna go? (You and Aladdin are both invited.)_

_You mean skip FL?_

_Yes._

_Sure. It might be nice to have a relaxing week. Aladdin wants to know if Flynn and Rapunzel can come to._

Esmeralda looked up at Phoebus. "Can Flynn and Rapunzel come too?"

"Um, sure. But no one else; I want to invite Mulan, too," Phoebus said.

Esmeralda relayed that message to Jasmine and stuck her phone back in her pocket. As if on cue, Mulan stopped by Phoebus' house then.

"Mulan, just the person I wanted to see," Phoebus said. "Me, Esmeralda and her friends, Jasmine, Aladdin, Flynn and Rapunzel are going to my cabin for Spring Break; do you want to go with us?"

"I don't know, Phoebus. I don't really want to be the seventh wheel all week," Mulan said.

"Bring someone with," Phoebus offered.

Mulan thought for a moment. "I guess I could ask my friend, Kayley. I think her school has Spring Break next week."

"Kayley from Camelot High School?" Esmeralda asked.

Mulan nodded. "Yeah. But, her dad is stationed here, as well. So, she usually spends the weekends here."

"Great!" Phoebus said. "It's settled, then. We're all going to spend the week in my cabin."

_XXX_

"No. Absolutely not!"

"Oh, come one, Megara! You have to come," Vanessa pleaded.

Meg looked helplessly up at Vanessa. Vanessa wanted her and Thomas to go to Florida with everybody for Spring Break. Of course, the last thing Meg wanted was to be trapped in a house with a bunch of people she couldn't stand.

"Yeah, Meg, it sounds fun," Thomas said.

Meg narrowed her eyes at Thomas. "Traitor."

Thomas laughed. "Count us in. I'll convince her."

"You better." Vanessa and Gaston turned and walked out of the diner.

Meg watched them leave, then glared at Thomas. "Really, Thomas?"

"Really."

"Why do _you _want to go?" Meg asked. "Are you even friends with anyone who's going?"

"John and Pocahontas are going."

"Thomas, I _really _don't be with stuck with all those people for a week," Meg said.

"You won't be. We can do our own thing; it'll be like a little getaway for the two of us." Thomas winked at Meg.

"I _do _like the sounds of that," Meg admitted.

Thomas smiled. "I knew you would."

Meg knew she couldn't win this. "All right, I'll go."

Thomas put some money on the table for their food, then took Meg's hand and led her outside to her car. She leaned against the car and Thomas went to open the door for her. Meg grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him towards her.

"Kiss me, Thomas," Meg whispered.

Thomas leaned into her and put his mouth on hers. Meg sighed. They had kissed a lot since their first date, but he still blew her mind every time. Meg was completely addicted to kissing him. When Thomas pulled away Meg bit her bottom lip and smiled at him.

"You don't have to stop," Meg said.

Thomas laughed. "We can't just make out in the parking lot, Meg."

"You're right," Meg said.

Meg and Thomas got in her car and headed back to his house. They said a quick hello to John and Pocahontas then went up to Thomas' room to get online for their tickets to Florida. Meg was not happy about how much it cost, but she bought her ticket anyway.

"This better be one awesome trip," Meg muttered, lying down on the edge of the bed.

Thomas grabbed her waist and slid her further up the bed. He positioned himself so he was lying half on top of her and half on the bed. Meg tried to pull his head down to hers, but he resisted. He took her hand, intertwined his fingers with hers, then pinned her hand on the bed above her head. Thomas slowly lowered his head 'till his lips hovered just over hers. He lightly ran his tongue over her lips. His teasing was driving Meg crazy. She wanted to force his mouth against hers, but he had both of her arms pinned down. She started writhing under him, trying to get her hand free. Thomas pressed his body against hers to keep her from moving. Thomas teased Meg a little more by brushing his lips over hers. When he finally kissed her, Meg quietly moaned.

"It will be," Thomas said before kissing her again.

_XXX_

"Camping? But, Flynn, I thought we were gonna go to Florida," Rapunzel said.

"We were, but I think this will be a lot more fun," Flynn said.

Rapunzel started pacing back and forth in her bedroom. "I don't want to go camping."

"It's not like we're gonna be roughing it or anything; we'll be staying in a cabin," Flynn told her. "And there won't be as many people there."

"I _want _to be with everybody," Rapunzel said. "That's the whole point."

"Well, I'm going to the cabin with Aladdin and Phoebus," Flynn said. "You can go to Florida, if you want. But, keep this in mind: at the cabin we'll have our own room, and a lot more privacy."

Rapunzel stopped pacing, momentarily taken off guard. But, then she shook her head. No, Flynn wasn't going to use that as a bribe.

"I understand that, Flynn," Rapunzel said. "But, I want to spend Spring Break with my friends."

"Then go to Florida."

"Come with me."

"I'm sorry, Rapunzel, but I'm going to the cabin," Flynn said.

Rapunzel sighed. "Then, I guess we're not spending Spring Break together."

"I guess." Flynn sounded disappointed.

They were both quiet for a minute, until Rapunzel said, "I should get going. I have to make arrangements with Giselle."

"All right, babe. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye."

"Bye."

Rapunzel hung up her phone and sighed. She couldn't believe she wasn't going to be spending Spring Break with her boyfriend. She sat down at her desk and went on the airline's website. Rapunzel scrolled through the ticket options until she found one that worked best for her. She clicked on it, but then just stared at the screen. She got a text message and she opened her phone to read it.

_EDWARD'S COMING TO FLORIDA WITH US! ...Giselle..._

Rapunzel groaned and stood up. She paced back and forth some more and then flopped down on her bed.

"Maximus! Here, boy!" Rapunzel called.

Max ran into her room and immediately jumped on her bed. Rapunzel petted him and he wagged his tail.

"Oh, Max, I don't know what to do."


	39. Chapter 39

"Papa, please!" Belle pleaded.

"No, Belle, you're grounded."

"I really want to go to Florida with Aurora!" Belle said. "I only have two more Spring Breaks left in high school."

"You should have thought about that before you stayed out all night with that boy," Maurice said.

Belle bit her lip to keep from snapping at her dad. "But, Papa, I've worked really hard to get the money for this trip. I worked extra hours at the bookstore and did a lot more tutoring after school."

Maurice didn't look up from the blue prints of his newest invention. Belle waited anxiously for him to say something. It was a few minutes before Maurice said anything.

"I'll make you a deal." Maurice sighed. "I will let you go to Florida with Aurora on two conditions. One, you have to continue working as much as you can. Two, I'm going to add an extra two weeks to your grounding. Okay?"

"Okay! Deal!" Belle hugged her dad. He gave her back her phone and she ran upstairs to call Aurora.

"Hi, Belle, what's going on?" Aurora asked.

"My dad is letting me go to Florida!" Belle was practically squealing.

"That's great!" Aurora exclaimed. "But, I thought you were grounded."

"He's adding an extra two weeks to make up for letting me go," Belle said.

"It'll be worth it!" Aurora told her. "Philip and I are leaving Monday morning. I'll email you our flight information so you can go down with us."

"Sounds good. I'll book my flight as soon as I get your email," Belle said. "I'm going to call Adam."

"Okay, bye!"

"Bye." Belle hung up her phone, then immediately called Adam.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Adam, it's me," Belle said.

"Belle? I thought you were grounded."

"My dad is lifting my grounding so I can go to Florida for Spring Break," Belle said. "Can you still go?"

"Sure."

Belle sat down at her desk and turned on her computer. She pulled up Aurora's email.

"It looks like Aurora and Philip are taking an eight o'clock flight out Monday morning," Belle told him. "Does that work for you?"

"Yeah."

"I'm online now to book my flight," Belle said. "Can you get online?"

"Yeah, just give me a minute."

Belle pulled up a couple websites and started looking for Aurora's flight. Once she found it she emailed it to Adam. They booked their flight together and then Belle got off the phone before her dad could catch her. She sent Aurora a text to let her know they got their tickets.

_Adam and I got our tickets._

_Yay! Ariel is flying out with us 2. Philip is driving all of us 2 the airport._

_See you then. :)_

_XXX_

**Good Friday... **

Jasmine was putting a couple last minute items in her suitcase when the doorbell rang. She hurried downstairs and opened the door. Aladdin greeted her with a kiss as he walked into her house.

"Are you ready?" Aladdin asked.

"Just about. I only have to pack what I used this morning. It should only take a couple minutes," Jasmine said. "The SUVs are parked at the end of the driveway if you want to put your bag in one."

Aladdin nodded and headed back outside. Jasmine finished packing, then met Aladdin by the car. Jasmine had rented two SUVs for the trip so they'd have cars big enough for everybody's luggage and still have enough room for everyone to sit comfortably. Jasmine put her suitcase in the same SUV as Aladdin's bag.

"Don't you have to be twenty-five to rent a car?" Aladdin asked.

"Yes, but my dad knows the owner, Edgar, and he bends the rules for us," Jasmine explained.

Jasmine looked up as a small car was pulling into the driveway. Jasmine didn't recognize the girl driving, so she assumed it was Phoebus' friend Mulan. Jasmine walked over to the car.

"Good morning!" Jasmine greeted.

"Hi. My name is Mulan and this is Kayley."

"It's nice to meet you," Jasmine said. "Just pull your car all the way up and put your bags in one of the SUVs."

Mulan nodded and pulled away. Jasmine and Aladdin were helping Mulan and Kayley load their stuff into the car when Flynn arrived. Jasmine told him to pull up. After he parked his car, Flynn helped Aladdin organize the suitcases. Phoebus and Esmeralda arrived shortly after Flynn. Jasmine gave them a quick wave as they drove up the driveway.

"Good morning, everyone!" Phoebus greeted.

Flynn took his bag and put it in the back of one of the SUVs. Esmeralda made her way to everyone. She had a duffel bag draped over each shoulder and was rolling a suitcase behind her. Jasmine could tell her best friend was tired. Esmeralda was wearing sunglasses, her hair was pushed back with a headband and she was holding a large cup from Starbucks. Esmeralda grumbled a quick hello to everyone as Flynn and Aladdin took her bags. There was a honk and Jasmine looked up. Another car was pulling into the driveway. Jasmine ran over to it and they rolled down their window.

"Rapunzel, hey! I thought you weren't coming," Jasmine said.

"I wasn't, but I decided I really wanted to spend Spring Break with Flynn," Rapunzel replied. "Is it too late to come with you?"

Jasmine smiled at her. "Of course not. Pull your car up and meets us back down here."

"Thank you, Jasmine."

Jasmine nodded and walked back over to her friends.

Jasmine put her arm around Flynn. "Special delivery for Flynn Rider."

Flynn looked at her, confused. Jasmine pointed up the driveway, where Rapunzel was getting out of her car. Flynn's eyes lit up and he hurried over to Rapunzel. Jasmine smiled as she watched Flynn scoop up Rapunzel and kiss her. He picked up her bag and they walked back down to where everyone was waiting.

"Hey, Aladdin, make room for one more bag," Flynn said, tossing Rapunzel's bag to him.

Aladdin caught the bag then started rearranging the SUV with the least amount of luggage. When Rapunzel's bag was in, he closed the back of the SUV.

Jasmine handed a set of keys to Phoebus. "I'll follow you."

Phoebus nodded and got into his SUV. Esmeralda, Mulan and Kayley rode with him. Jasmine got behind the wheel of the other SUV. Aladdin got into the passenger seat while Flynn and Rapunzel climbed into the backseat.

"Everyone ready?" Jasmine asked.

They all nodded. Phoebus pulled away and Jasmine followed him out.


	40. Chapter 40

"Phoebus needs to stop for gas," Aladdin told Jasmine as he hung up his phone.

Jasmine glanced down at her gas gage. "Yeah, I do, too."

Jasmine followed Phoebus off the next exit. They pulled into a gas station that also had a Subway in it.

"Oh, thank God! I'm starving!" Flynn said as Jasmine pulled up to the pump.

Aladdin pulled the gas envelope out of the glove compartment. Jasmine had paid for both rental cars, so everyone else had to pitch in for gas. They calculated the total cost and split it up. Aladdin took out enough to fill both cars, then went inside to pay.

"Since I didn't pitch in for gas, I'll buy food for everybody at our stops," Rapunzel said.

Jasmine and Esmeralda told Rapunzel what they wanted, then pumped the gas while everyone else got the food.

"How's your ride been?" Jasmine asked Esmeralda.

"Not bad. Phoebus and Mulan have been doing most of the talking. Kayley hasn't said anything since we left," Esmeralda said.

"Well, I'm sure she just feels a little uncomfortable. She doesn't really know anyone, except you, me and Rapunzel and we're kind of her rivals. And it sounds like Mulan is spending more time talking to Phoebus," Jasmine said.

Esmeralda nodded. "Good point."

Kayley happened to be the first out with her food.

"Hi, Kayley," Jasmine said.

Kayley looked up at her and smiled. "Hi."

Kayley climbed back into the car. Esmeralda's pump clicked off and she got into the car with Kayley.

"I hope you're not feeling too awkward around us," Esmeralda said to Kayley.

"Well, it is a little weird to be spending Spring Break with people from Andalasia," Kayley said.

"Then, why did you come?" Esmeralda hoped her question didn't sound mean.

"Mulan really wanted me to come," Kayley said.

Esmeralda nodded. "Well, we want you to know that we're not going to treat you as our rival. This week you're just as much a part of this group as any of us. Okay?"

Kayley smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Esmeralda."

Rapunzel was the only one left at Subway. She paid for everybody's orders, then went outside. Esmeralda, Kayley and Mulan were back in their SUV. Phoebus and Flynn were sitting on the hood of the other SUV, eating their sandwiches. Aladdin was standing in front of them, but he hadn't started eating yet. Rapunzel brought Esmeralda her sandwich.

"Where's Jasmine?" Rapunzel asked her.

Esmeralda pointed in front of her as she started to open her sandwich. Jasmine was a few feet away, talking on her phone and pacing back and forth. Rapunzel walked over to Jasmine.

"I just wanted to make sure everything's good," Jasmine was saying. "Okay, thank you. Buh-bye." Jasmine hung up her phone.

"Here's your sandwich," Rapunzel said handing Jasmine her food.

"Thanks." Jasmine took her sandwich.

"So, what was that all about?" Rapunzel asked motioning towards Jasmine's phone.

"Oh, I was just letting my bank know that I was traveling. Otherwise if they saw charges coming up on my account from different cities, they'd freeze my account," Jasmine explained.

Rapunzel nodded and the girls walked over to join their men. Flynn slid off the hood of the car and stood next to Rapunzel. Aladdin took his spot and Jasmine stood in between his legs. Aladdin had been waiting for Jasmine to get her sandwich before he started eating and the two of them ate together.

When everyone was done eating, they piled back into their cars and got back on the road.

"I love road trips." Esmeralda kicked off her shoes and curled up in her seat. "I wish we were going further, though."

"This is my first road trip," Kayley said.

"This is my first road trip with friends," Mulan said. "Usually it's just my parents and me going from one base to another."

"Are you guys having fun so far?" Esmeralda asked them.

"Yes," Mulan said. Kayley nodded in agreement.

Esmeralda smiled at them. "Good."

"Where would you like to go?" Phoebus asked Esmeralda. "You said you wish we were going further."

"I don't know. Chicago, I think. I've never been there," Esmeralda said.

"Chicago is beautiful," Kayley said. "My mom and I went there for Christmas a few years ago."

Esmeralda made a face. "I don't like the cold. I'd rather go in the summer."

Esmeralda's phone suddenly started ringing. When she saw it was Aladdin, she answered it. "What's up, Aladdin?"

"Rapunzel thinks she left her debit card at Subway, we need to turn around," Aladdin said.

"Oh, wow, okay. I'll tell Phoebus," Esmeralda said. "Rapunzel left her debit card at Subway."

"Tell them there's another exit in a couple miles and we'll turn around there," Phoebus said.

"Aladdin? We're gonna turn around at the next exit."

When they got back to Subway, Rapunzel jumped out of the car and ran back inside.

"Excuse me? My name is Rapunzel. Did I leave my debit card here?" Rapunzel pulled out her I.D. and showed it to the girl behind the counter.

The girl looked at the I.D. then nodded. She reached under the register and handed Rapunzel her debit card.

"Oh, thank you, so much!" Rapunzel put her card and her I.D. back in her wallet and hurried out to the car. "They had it!" she announced.

"Oh, good," Jasmine said.

They made the rest of the way to the cabin without anymore problems. Jasmine followed Phoebus up the driveway and parked behind him. Rapunzel looked at the huge cabin as she got out of the car.

"This isn't exactly what I pictured when you said we'd be camping in a cabin," Rapunzel said.

Phoebus opened the back of his SUV. "My mom likes to live in luxury once in a while."

Everyone grabbed their bags and followed Phoebus inside. The cabin looked bigger inside, but still felt cozy.

"There's two rooms downstairs and three upstairs," Phoebus said. "Esmeralda and I will get the master bedroom downstairs. The other rooms are fair game."

Jasmine and Aladdin made their way upstairs. The stairs ended in front of one of the bedrooms. There was a bedroom to the right of the stairs and another one down the hall to the left. Next to the stairs was a small balcony that looked down over the living room and the front door. Jasmine led Aladdin to the room on the left. Jasmine was just finishing up unpacking when someone knocked on their door. Aladdin crossed the room and answered the door.

"Hey, Flynn, come on in," Aladdin said.

"Rapunzel and I took the room at the other end of the hall," Flynn said. "But, check it out!" He held up two walkie-talkies and handed one to Aladdin.

"Awesome!" Aladdin said. "Let's test them out."

Flynn nodded, then went back to his room. Aladdin closed the door behind him.

"Aladdin, do you copy?"

"Ten-four!"

"Oh, man, this is so cool!"

"Hell yeah!" Aladdin paused. "Over."

Jasmine laughed. She took the walkie-talkie from Aladdin. "Rapunzel, I think we have some long nights ahead of us."

Rapunzel's voice came over the walkie-talkie. "Roger that!"


	41. Chapter 41

**Easter Sunday...**

"Aurora! Aurora, you made it!" Alice cried out.

Alice ran towards Aurora and Aurora crouched down to greet her with a hug.

"Aurora, I'm gonna meet the Easter Bunny and then I get to look for all the eggs he hid for me!" Alice said.

Aurora hung her purse and jacket on the coat rack. "How exciting!"

Alice ran off just as her mom was walking towards Aurora.

"Happy Easter, Aurora," Alice's mom said.

"Happy Easter."

"I'm so glad you came."

"Yeah, well I was a little surprised that you wanted me to spend Easter with you and your family," Aurora said.

"Alice just adores you! She doesn't see you as just her babysitter," Alice's mom said. "We want you to feel like you're part of the family."

"Thank you."

Alice's mom nodded. "However, if you don't mind just keeping an eye on her for a few minutes, that would be great. Her father is in the backyard hiding her eggs right now and I don't want her to see him."

"No problem."

"Alice, come here, darling!" Alice's mom called out. Alice ran over to her. "Stay with Aurora for a little while, okay?"

Alice nodded and her mom walked away. Aurora looked down at Alice and realized she was still in her pajamas.

"Do you want to get dressed?" Aurora asked.

"Yeah!" Alice grabbed Aurora's hand. "Come with me."

Aurora followed her into her bedroom. Alice closed the door behind them and went over to her closet.

"I don't know what to wear," Alice said.

"Why don't you wear a pretty dress?" Aurora suggested.

Alice's eyes lit up and she pulled out her favorite blue dress. "Can I wear this?"

"Of course."

While Alice changed, Aurora got the tights, shoes and headband she usually wore with the dress. Then, Aurora helped her finish getting ready. When it was time to go outside to meet the Easter Bunny, Alice took Aurora's hand and practically dragged her outside. Alice's parents were waiting on the back patio. When Alice came outside she looked around, trying to find the Easter Bunny.

"Where is he?" Alice asked.

Before anyone could answer, the Easter Bunny (which Aurora could tell was somebody dressed in a bunny suit) hopped out from the side of the house. Alice's eyes lit up and she started bouncing up and down. The Easter Bunny hopped over to Alice and Alice gave it a big hug.

"Alice, do you want your picture taken with the Easter Bunny?" her mom asked.

"Yeah!"

The Easter Bunny knelt down and put its arms around Alice. After her mom took the picture, the Easter Bunny bent over and handed Alice a basket. It was then that Aurora saw the brown hair peeking out from under the bunny head and she smiled. The Easter Bunny was Alice's older sister, who was supposed to be away at college. Alice took her basket and began running around the yard, looking for her eggs. After she found all the eggs, Alice set her basket on the patio table.

"No candy until after we eat," Alice's mom said.

Alice opened her eggs and started sorting the prizes. She put all the candy in her basket and put the small toys on the table. She didn't notice the Easter Bunny sneak away. Alice's mom's cellphone rang.

"Hello? Oh, honey, it's so good to hear from you!" Alice's mom said. "Happy Easter. Do you want to talk to Alice? Okay, let me get her. Alice, your sister wants to talk to you."

Alice got excited and took the phone from her mom. Alice paced back and forth on the patio, looking down at her feet; her shoes click-clocked on the pavement and she loved the sound. Alice hung up the phone just as her sister was sneaking through the house. She quietly came up behind Alice.

"Your shoes make a pretty sound," Alice's sister said.

Alice turned around with wide eyes and hugged her sister.

"You missed the Easter Bunny!" Alice said.

Alice's sister pretended to look sad. "Oh, darn."

"Aurora?"

Aurora turned to see Alice's mom standing next to her. "Yes?"

"Do you mind taking a picture of the four of us?"

Aurora shook her head. "Not at all."

Alice's mom handed her the camera, then got everyone together for the picture.

Aurora held the camera up. "Say 'chipmunks'!"

Alice's eyes lit up and she gave the camera a big smile.

_XXX_

Meg and Pocahontas arrived at Thomas and John's house at the same time. Pocahontas was struggling to get a plastic container out of her car.

"Do you need any help?" Meg asked her.

"No, I got it," Pocahontas muttered. "Thanks."

Meg and Pocahontas walked up to the front door and Meg rang the doorbell. Thomas' mom answered the door.

"Hi, girls! Happy Easter!"

The girls wished her a happy Easter as they walked in. Pocahontas followed Thomas' mom into the kitchen. Meg stood awkwardly by the door until Thomas came downstairs.

"Happy Easter, baby," Meg said.

"Happy Easter." Thomas gave Meg a quick kiss on the cheek. "I think dinner is just about done."

Thomas took Meg's hand and they went into the dinning room. John and his dad were setting the table. Thomas' mom came out and set two vases on the table; each of them had a bouquet of daffodils and purple tulips.

"Dinner's ready," Thomas' mom said. "Go ahead and take your seats."

Meg and Thomas sat down on one side of the table, while Pocahontas and John sat across from them. Their parents brought out the food and then took their places at the ends of the table. Thomas' mom had made ham and mashed potatoes.

"Are you excited about your trip tomorrow?" Thomas' mom asked.

"Oh, yes," Pocahontas said. "It's going to be so much fun."

John shrugged. "I guess."

"I can't wait to hit the beach," Thomas said.

"What about you, Meg?" Thomas' mom asked.

"Oh. Um, it'll be nice to hang out with Thomas and Vanessa," Meg said.

Pocahontas, John and Thomas gave Meg a look that made her regret bringing up Vanessa. She forgot that no one else really liked her. Meg looked down at her food and started picking at her mashed potatoes.

Pocahontas cleared her throat. "Thank you so much for taking care of Meeko while I'm gone."

"It's no problem, dear," Thomas' mom said.

"But, this is the only time, Pocahontas," John's dad said.

Pocahontas nodded. "Of course."

After dinner, the men cleared the table and washed the dishes.

"So, Meg, tell me a little bit about yourself," Thomas' mom said. "You've come over a few times, but we've never actually talked."

Meg straightened up in her chair. "There isn't much to tell."

"What are you interested in?"

"I really like music," Meg said. "I play guitar."

"She's really good at it," Pocahontas said. "I've heard her playing in Thomas' bedroom."

Meg blushed. "I'm all right."

"Will you play something for me?"

"Oh, I don't know..."

"Please? I would love to hear it," Thomas' mom said.

Meg really didn't want to play for anyone, but she wanted to leave a good impression on Thomas' mom, so she agreed. She went up to Thomas' room and grabbed his guitar. Pocahontas and Thomas' mom were waiting in the living room. Meg sat down on the armchair and tuned the guitar. She thought for a moment, then started playing "Bare Naked" by Jennifer Love Hewitt. Meg sang the song quietly while she played it.

"Do you know anything by The Band Perry?" Pocahontas asked after Meg finished her song.

"I know 'If I Die Young'," Meg said, beginning the song.

Pocahontas started singing and Meg sang along with her. John and Thomas joined them in the living room as they went into the first chorus. When they finished the song, everyone clapped.

"That was great, girls," Thomas' mom said.

Meg brought the guitar back up to Thomas' room. Thomas followed her and closed the door behind them.

"I thought you don't sing with other people around," Thomas said.

Meg set the guitar on its stand. "Typically, I don't. But, I was trying to impress your mom."

"Why?"

"Because I really like you, Thomas. I want your mom to approve of me," Meg said.

"I'm sure she does."

"Hey," John said, opening the door. "Pocahontas brought dessert for us."

Meg and Thomas followed John back down to the dinning room. Meg sat down and Pocahontas set her dessert on front of her. It was a small chocolate bunny cake with her name on it.

"Pocahontas, these are adorable!" Thomas' mom said.

"Thank you." Pocahontas sat down. "Nakoma and I make these every year."

Pocahontas watched as everyone at their cakes. Thomas' mom looked up and caught John's dad's eyes. He winked at her and she smiled at him. Pocahontas looked sadly down at her cake; she missed her mom. Her mom was the one who had started making these cakes. Pocahontas was able to help her mom with the cakes on her last Easter. Every year after that Pocahontas made her dad help her make them; it was her way of keeping her mom's memory alive. When she moved in with her aunt and uncle, she found out her aunt knew how to make the cakes the way her mom used to make them and she taught Pocahontas. Pocahontas' mom died a couple weeks after Easter. Baking with her was one of the last memories she had of her mother.


	42. Chapter 42

**Monday Morning... **

Ariel looked across the aisle at Belle and Adam; they were both sleeping. Adam's head was resting against the window and he had his arm around Belle. She was curled up with her head on his chest and her hand on his stomach. Ariel couldn't wait to see Eric.

Ariel reached over and gently shook Belle. "Belle?"

Belle slowly opened her eyes. "Hey, Ariel."

"We're about to land," Ariel said.

Belle looked up at Adam. "Adam, honey, wake up."

Adam groaned and rubbed his neck. "What is it?"

"The plane's gonna land soon."

Ariel leaned over her armrest and looked around the plane. She, Belle and Adam were in the back of the plane. Charlotte was a couple rows in front of Ariel. John and Pocahontas were in the row in front of her. Meg and Thomas were only a couple rows from the front of the plane. Philip and Aurora were across the aisle from them.

A loud snore made Ariel look back at the man sitting next to her. He was an older man who had been sleeping during the whole flight. He snored like a foghorn and he had kept Ariel awake the whole time. She was so glad they were landing now.

When the plane landed Ariel quickly got up and took her bag out of the overhead compartment. She waited for Belle and Adam to get their bags, then the three of them made their way off the plane. They got off the plane before anyone else and waited for the others by the gate. When they were all off, they headed down to the baggage claim. Charlotte and Aurora were the only ones who had checked luggage. Once they had their stuff, they all walked towards the exit. There was a well dressed chauffeur holding a sign that had all of their names on it.

"That's us," Philip said.

The chauffeur nodded and led them all outside, to a white stretch limo. The chauffeur loaded their luggage as they all climbed into the car.

"Isn't this exciting?" Charlotte exclaimed.

It took them about forty-five minutes to get to Eric's house. When they finally got there everyone piled out of the car, stretched and looked up at the mansion in front of them.

"It looks like a castle," Pocahontas said.

"No wonder everyone comes here," Thomas said.

"Wait 'till you see the inside," Charlotte said as she walked passed them.

"Hey, guys!"

Everyone looked up. Giselle and Edward were standing on a balcony a couple stories above them. Giselle waved and Charlotte waved back.

"Hey, girl!" Charlotte called out.

Everyone picked up their luggage and made their way inside. They barely made it the doorway. Eric's vacation home was huge; it seemed to stretch out for miles.

"You made it!" Eric said as he came downstairs.

"This place is beautiful," Aurora said.

"Thank you!" Eric's mom came downstairs behind him.

"Thank you for letting us all come," Belle said.

"Oh, my pleasure, sweetheart."

"Mom, there's someone I want you to meet," Eric said. He walked over to Ariel and took her hand. "This is my girlfriend, Ariel."

"Ariel, it's lovely to meet you," Eric's mom said.

"You, too," Ariel said, quietly.

Eric's mom gave everyone another smile, then walked away. Eric turned back towards his guests.

"We only have six rooms for the guests, so we need four people to a bedroom," Eric said. "We still have two empty rooms and one room with enough room for one more person."

Charlotte looked at all of the couples. "I'll fill the one spot."

Eric nodded. "Ariel will be in my room with me. The rest of you can take the last two rooms. I'll show you where they are."

They all followed Eric upstairs. They stopped at the first door at the top of the stairs. "Charlotte, this will be your room."

Eric showed them the empty rooms and told them where the bathrooms were. He briefly told them where everything in the house was, before leaving them to unpack.

Aurora dropped her suitcase on the bed, then walked over to the closet. She pulled open the door and her eyes widened. The closet was the same size as her bedroom back home. Aurora walked in and spun around, taking it all in.

"Belle, check this out," Aurora said.

Belle walked over with a bunch of clothes draped over her arm. "Oh wow."

"I'm pretty sure the room I stayed in last year didn't have a closet this big," Aurora said.

"The closet is the same size," Philip said from the bedroom. "But last year you shared the closet with Tink."

Aurora frowned. "Oh yeah. Man, she had a lot of clothes."

Belle lift up her arm to show Aurora her clothes. "Well, this is all I have."

Aurora smiled at her. "Actually..."

Aurora walked out of the closet and Belle followed her. Aurora unzipped her suitcase and pulled out some clothes.

"I bought these for you," Aurora said. She held up each piece of clothing for Belle to see, ending with the bikini.

"Thank you so much, Aurora!"

Aurora draped Belle's new clothes over Belle's arms and Belle hung up her clothes in their closet.

When Meg had finished unpacking, she collapsed on hers and Thomas' bed.

"I'm already exhausted," Meg said.

"I know what you mean," John said.

Pocahontas opened their window and stuck her head out. "It's so beautiful outside! Let's go look around."

John was just sitting down and now stood back up with a groan. "All right."

Pocahontas grabbed John's arm and they left. Meg looked warily over at Thomas, who was now looking out the window. Thomas turned and walked over to the bed. He lied down, resting his head on Meg's stomach. Within a few minutes they were both asleep.

As Pocahontas and John made their way through the house, Pocahontas realized that she wasn't really friends with anyone there. She walked out to the back of Eric's house and was happy to see they were right on the beach.

Pocahontas looked up at John. "I'll race you to the water."

John laughed and then took off. Pocahontas ran after him. John got to the water first, but Pocahontas was right behind.

"If you hadn't cheated, I would have beaten you," Pocahontas said.

"That's why I took the head start," John said.

John took Pocahontas' hand and they started walking along the water. Every once in a while Pocahontas would stop and pick up a seashell.

"Thank you for coming," Pocahontas said as they returned to Eric's house. "I'm sure this is going to be a great vacation."

John put his arm Pocahontas' neck and kissed her forehead. "I'd do anything for you."

"Hey, guys!" Ariel waved at them as she and Eric walked outside. "Isn't this place incredible?"

"It's beautiful," Pocahontas agreed.


	43. Chapter 43

**Monday Afternoon... **

"I'm so glad there was a pizza place willing to deliver out here," Flynn said. "I've been wanting pizza forever."

Phoebus laughed. "We're only fifteen minutes from town."

"It's easy to forget that," Jasmine said as she threw away the pizza boxes. "It's so secluded and peaceful here."

Aladdin stood up. "I challenge all of you to an ATV race."

"I don't think so," Rapunzel said. "I'll be your flag girl."

"Yeah, I'm gonna sit this one out, too," Jasmine said.

"Me too," Esmeralda agreed.

Phoebus led Aladdin, Flynn, Mulan and Kayley to where the ATVs were stored. When Jasmine was done cleaning up she started to head outside to watch the race.

"I'll meet you out there," Esmeralda said.

"All right," Jasmine said. She started to walk towards the door, but when Esmeralda was out of eyesight, she followed her.

As Jasmine approached the bathroom door she could hear Esmeralda throwing up. Jasmine waited outside the door until Esmeralda came out. Esmeralda was startled at first to see Jasmine.

"What are you doing?" Jasmine asked.

"I-"

"Esmeralda, this is serious. You need help," Jasmine said.

"No, I don't." Esmeralda tried walking away, but Jasmine blocked her path.

"Esmeralda, you're my best friend and I care about you. I don't want to see you hurting yourself," Jasmine said.

"I'm fine."

Jasmine took both of Esmeralda's hands in hers. "Esmeralda, listen to me. If this doesn't stop, I'm going tell your parents."

Esmeralda pulled her hands away. "This isn't any of your business, Jasmine. Stay out of it."

Esmeralda pushed passed Jasmine and joined Rapunzel outside. Rapunzel was cheering and jumping up and down.

"Who's winning?" Esmeralda asked.

"Flynn! But Kayley is really close behind," Rapunzel said.

Jasmine came outside and joined them as the racers were approaching. Flynn and Kayley were neck and neck as they crossed the finish line, but Flynn won. Rapunzel ran over to Flynn and threw her arms around him.

"Baby, that was great!" Rapunzel said. She turned and faced Kayley. "That was pretty impressive, Kayley. Who said cheerleaders can't kick butt?"

Kayley shook her hair from her helmet. "I'm not a cheerleader. I joined cheerleading because my mom forced me to. But, it's not who I am."

Rapunzel frowned. "I guess it's not who I am anymore, either."

"What do you mean?" Kayley asked, slipping off her gloves.

"Helga kicked me off the squad."

Kayley laughed. "You're better off."

"I worked really hard at it," Rapunzel said. "I really wanted to be captain next year and continue cheerleading through college."

"What else do you wanna do?" Jasmine asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, what career do you wanna have?"

Rapunzel thought for a moment. "I don't know. I thought I'd just figure that out once I got into college."

Flynn wrapped his arm around Rapunzel. "You have plenty of time to figure that out. Right now, let's just enjoy our spring break."

Everyone cheered.

Flynn pulled Rapunzel close and whispered in her ear. "Come with me to the bedroom, there's something I wanna talk to you about."

Rapunzel nodded and Flynn led her back to their room. He closed the door behind them, then went over to his suitcase. He rummaged through one of the pockets, pulled something out and showed it to Rapunzel. The sight of the small box of condoms made Rapunzel uneasy. She sat down on the bed and bit her lip.

"So, this is really going to happen?" Rapunzel asked.

Flynn dropped the box back in his suitcase and joined Rapunzel on the bed. "Only if you want it to. I bought them just in case. I figured being here would be our best opportunity to make it romantic and special."

Rapunzel thought for a moment. "You brought them even though you didn't even know I was coming?"

Flynn shook his head. "I bought them at our last stop."

Rapunzel leaned over and kissed Flynn. "I really want to do this."

"Me too." Flynn was about to kiss Rapunzel again when their door opened.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Esmeralda said.

"No, you're fine," Rapunzel assured her. "Nothing was happening."

Esmeralda raised an eyebrow. "Right. Anyway, Jasmine didn't know there was a lake here, so she didn't bring a bikini. We're all heading to the mall to do some shopping. Do you two wanna come with?"

Rapunzel jumped up. "Yes! I never pass up an opportunity to go shopping."

Everyone made their way outside and into the SUVs. The mall was pretty crowded and it took them a while to find parking spaces. They all headed into the main entrance and went straight for the directory. Everyone wanted to check out different stores. Jasmine wanted to look for a bikini at Victoria's Secret, and Aladdin volunteered to go with her to help her pick one out. Flynn was headed to the sporting goods store. Mulan and Kayley just wanted wander. Phoebus made a beeline to the food court. Rapunzel started to go to her favorite clothing store, but Esmeralda pulled her aside.

"You and Flynn are going to do it this week, aren't you?" Esmeralda asked.

Rapunzel looked around, then back at Esmeralda. "We want to."

Esmeralda smiled at her. "C'mon."

Esmeralda took Rapunzel's hand and led her to Frederick's of Hollywood. When they walked into the lingerie store, Rapunzel suddenly felt very self conscious.

"This is your first time, isn't it?" Esmeralda asked.

Rapunzel nodded.

"All right, then let's find you something simple, but sexy."

Esmeralda picked out some chemises, a babydoll and a couple corsets with garters. Rapunzel's eyes widened in horror when Esmeralda handed them all to her.

"Try these on," Esmeralda instructed.

"No, Esmeralda, I can't pull any of these off," Rapunzel protested as Esmeralda pushed her into the fitting room.

"Of course you can. And I want to see all of them," Esmeralda said.

Rapunzel hesitantly tried on each outfit and uncomfortably modeled it for Esmeralda. Esmeralda took note of the ones that Rapunzel seemed to have the most confidence in.

"Okay. Get the hot pink mesh and lace chemise and the purple and black corset," Esmeralda said.

"I don't know, Esmeralda. Are you sure?" Rapunzel asked.

"Absolutely." Esmeralda started steering Rapunzel to the check out before she could change her mind.

After they left the store they headed over to Hollister to get some new clothes. Rapunzel dropped her Frederick's bag in her Hollister bag so no one would see it. Esmeralda couldn't help but laugh at how shy Rapunzel was being. But, Esmeralda knew Rapunzel would thank her later.


	44. Chapter 44

**Monday Night...**

Ariel walked upstairs to Charlotte's room and knocked on the door. A girl with dark hair answered.

"Hello," she said.

"Hi," Ariel replied. "I'm looking for Charlotte."

The girl opened the door wider and let Ariel in. Charlotte was standing in front of a mirror, putting on mascara. The dark-haired girl sat down on a bed next to a boy that Ariel didn't recognize, either.

"Eric is starting a bonfire out back," Ariel said. She was looking at Charlotte when, but it was general announcement to all three of them in the room.

"Are you Ariel, Eric's girlfriend?" the dark-haired girl asked.

Ariel nodded.

The dark-haired girl smiled at her. "I'm Nancy and this is my boyfriend, Robert. Eric has been talking about you all weekend. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Um. You, too," Ariel replied.

Nancy took Robert's hand and stood up. "We'll see you at the bonfire."

The couple walked out into the hall and Ariel turned back to Charlotte.

"What are you gettin' all dolled-up for?" Ariel asked her best friend.

Charlotte's face lit up. "My other roommate is wicked hot."

Ariel smiled at her. "Who is it?"

"His name is John Rolfe," Charlotte said. "He's a senior, like Robert and Nancy."

Ariel giggled. "C'mon, let's see if he's at the bonfire."

Charlotte squealed and the girls headed outside. Pocahontas jumped out of their way as they hurried passed her. She made her way down the hall to her room. She was surprised to see that Meg and Thomas were still sleeping; they had been asleep all day. John was stretched out on the bed, checking his email from his phone.

Pocahontas sat down on the bed. "Do you want to go the bonfire with me?"

John nodded and got up. The two of them went downstairs and walked to the back of the house. There weren't many people hanging out in the house. Pocahontas noticed that no one had really been hanging out in the house all day. As they approached the fire, Pocahontas spotted Rolfe and suddenly stopped. John turned around and gave her a confused look.

"What's going on?" John asked.

Pocahontas ran her hand through her hair. "Rolfe is here. Let's go back inside."

John shot a quick glance in Rolfe's direction before following Pocahontas back inside. She sat down on the couch and he joined her.

"I had no idea he would be here," Pocahontas said.

"Is it going to be a problem?" John asked.

Pocahontas shook her head. "No, but it might be a little awkward."

"Just don't spend any alone time with him, Pocahontas," John said.

"I won't."

Ariel snuggled closer to Eric as she watched Charlotte flirt with Rolfe. Ariel had to admit, he was attractive. But, Eric was definitely better looking.

"Eric, we're just having the _best_ time," Helga said, as she and Hercules joined them around the fire.

"I'm glad," Eric said, absently, as he continued his conversation with Robert.

Helga seemed momentarily bothered by the lack of attention from Eric. But, she soon forgot about it and started making out with Hercules.

"Meg, do you want to hit the hot tub?" Thomas asked.

Meg forced herself to tear her eyes away from Helga and Hercules and closed the blinds. "Yeah, that sounds great."

Meg went into the closet to slip on her new purple bikini. When she came out of the closet, Thomas was already changed. Meg was taken completely by surprise as she saw Thomas' body for the first time. He was thin, but toned. He had a four-pack, and his chest was hard. Meg had noticed that he had muscular arms, but she had no idea his whole body matched. When Meg's eyes finally made it to Thomas' face she realized he was checking her out as well. Meg loved working out, so she had a great body and was used to being checked out when she was wearing a bikini. But, this was the first time she actually felt flattered by it.

Thomas cleared his throat. "We should head to the hot tub before it gets too crowded."

The hot tube and pool were on a deck that over looked the beach. Not far from the deck was the bonfire. Meg secretly hoped Hercules could see her.

As Meg and Thomas walked out onto the deck, she noticed Tinker Bell, Peter, Giselle and Edward were in the pool. Peter was in the process of dunking Tinker Bell when he saw Meg. He stared at Meg while Tinker Bell tried to get free and come up for air. When Tink surfaced, she shoved Peter then swam over to Giselle. Meg laughed as she walked over to the hot tub. Vanessa and Gaston were making out in the hot tub.

"Are we interrupting?" Meg asked.

Vanessa broke the kiss and looked up at them. "Not really."

Meg and Thomas set their towels down, then carefully stepped into the water. The hot water felt so good and Meg let herself sink down onto the stone seat. It took Thomas a little longer to get used to the water, but then he sat down next to Meg and took her hand.

"I'm a little surprised to see you actually came," Vanessa said.

"Thomas wanted to come and he's hard to say no to," Meg responded.

"Are you having a good time so far?" Gaston asked.

"We actually crashed as soon as we got here and just woke up," Meg said.

Vanessa laughed. "Only _you_ would sleep through your vacation, Meg."

Meg shrugged. "It's a good way to avoid people."

Vanessa leaned back and rested her elbows on the edge of the tub, showing off her red bikini top. "Well, tomorrow you two _are _going to the beach with everyone. Gaston and I are trying to get a volleyball team together so we can beat Helga's team this year. It's six-on-six. She has Hercules, Naveen, Robert, Nancy and Tiana. So far Gaston and I only have Gothel and Hades. We need two more people."

Meg laughed. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Nope."

"Oh, come on, Vanessa. You know I can't play. I'm just going to embarrass myself in front of everyone," Meg said.

"You don't have to be good; I'm not either. But, Gothel is and, obviously so is Gaston. And, judging by Thomas' arms, he probably is, too," Vanessa said.

Thomas blushed and looked away.

Vanessa smiled. "Aw! He's shy. That is _so _cute."

"Cannonball!"

Before anyone had a chance to react, a huge splash of water shot out of the pool. Everyone in the hot tub groaned as the cold water hit them. Hades was laughing as he surfaced. Everyone shot him angry looks. Gothel walked into the pool and joined her man.

"Whoa, Meg, what are you doing here?" Hades asked as he swam over to the small ledge that separated the hot tub from the pool.

"I'm on vacation with my boyfriend and best friend," Meg said.

Hades pretended to be hurt. "I've been replaced as your best friend by Villain Barbie?"

Vanessa shot Hades a dirty look. "Stop calling me that."

Hades laughed. "Not likely, doll."

Vanessa threw the closest object to her, which happened to be a small stone. Hades ducked and the stone landed in the pool. Hades laughed and swam away.

"I cannot _believe _you were friends that guy, Meg," Vanessa said.

"You were _friends _with Hades?" Thomas asked.

"We weren't friends," Meg said. "It was... complicated."

Peter swam over to the ledge. "Hey, Vanessa."

Vanessa narrowed her eyes at Peter. "Can I help you?"

"Hades said your Spring Break goal is to hook up with every guy in the house." Peter winked at Vanessa.

Vanessa's face filled with anger. She got out of the hot tub, then dove into the pool. She swam over to Hades and jumped on him, shoving his head under the water. He struggled to surface, but she wouldn't let him go. Gothel tired to pull her off, while everyone else just stared in horror. Gaston swore under his breath and went into the pool after her.

"We should go before we're witnesses to a murder," Meg said.

Thomas nodded and they quickly headed back into the house. Belle looked up as Meg and Thomas hurried passed them.

"It's your turn, Belle," Philip said.

Belle, Adam, Philip and Aurora were playing Rummy at the dining room table. Belle picked up a card, then discarded. Aurora drew a card, set the rest of her cards on the table, then discarded. Adam and Philip groaned.

"How do you win _every time_?" Adam asked.

Aurora laughed. "I play this with my Grandma all the time."

Adam turned to Belle. "Did you know about this?"

Belle smiled and shrugged.

"Man, we were hustled by a couple of girls," Philip said.

Aurora added up everyone's score and circled her final, winning total. "Anyone wanna play again?"

The boys groaned.

"Maybe we should call it a night and give them a break," Belle suggested.

Aurora nodded. "It looks like you lost, Philip, so you have to get everyone some ice cream."

"Fine," Philip said, standing up.

"I'll help you," Adam said.

"I'm so excited about going to the beach tomorrow," Aurora said as she cleaned up the cards.

"I don't think Adam is all that eager to hang out with everyone, so I may have to give him extra attention tomorrow," Belle said.

"That's cool, just as long as you're going," Aurora said.

"Oh, we're definitely going. I can't wait to wear my new swimsuit," Belle said.

Aurora finished putting the cards in the box, then leaned back in her seat. "How are things going with you and Adam, anyway?"

"Great!"

Aurora chewed on her bottom lip for a few seconds. "I've heard he's bad news. Ya know, that he tends to lose his temper a lot."

"Not with me."

"Look, Belle, I'm not going to tell you who you can and cannot date. But, I worry about you. I don't think it's a good idea for you to be with him," Aurora said.

Belle looked at her best friend in disbelief. "You sound like my father."

Before Aurora could respond, the boys came back with the ice cream. As soon as Adam sat down, Belle leaned over and kissed him.


	45. Chapter 45

**Tuesday Morning... **

When Jasmine woke up she was laying on the edge of the bed, facing the window. The clock said it was eight o'clock in the morning. She felt Aladdin shift next to her and she rolled over. She rested her head on his shoulder and ran her fingers over his bare chest.

"Aladdin?" Jasmine whispered. "Aladdin, sweetie, wake up."

When Aladdin didn't wake up, she gently started shaking him. He slowly opened his eyes and looked down at Jasmine.

Jasmine smiled at him. "Good morning."

Aladdin kissed the top of her head. "Morning."

Jasmine went into their adjoined bathroom and took a shower. While Jasmine was getting dressed, Aladdin got in the shower. They finished getting ready at the same time, then made their way downstairs. Phoebus and Mulan were in the kitchen. Phoebus was making coffee while Mulan was making breakfast.

"Good morning!" Jasmine greeted.

Phoebus and Mulan turned around.

"Morning!" Phoebus said.

"Breakfast is just about ready," Mulan said, turning back towards the stove.

"What are you making?" Aladdin asked.

"Just scrambled eggs and bacon."

Phoebus poured each of them a cup of coffee, then three of them sat down at the table.

"Is anyone else up?" Jasmine asked.

"Kayley is. She's sitting out on the pier," Mulan said.

"Esmeralda is still sleeping," Phoebus replied. "We haven't seen Flynn or Rapunzel, yet."

Mulan served the breakfast, then joined them at the table. 

"You know, Mulan, if you and Kayley don't want to share a room, there's an extra room upstairs," Phoebus offered.

Mulan nodded. "I'll talk to Kayley about it."

As they were finishing up breakfast, Rapunzel came down to the kitchen. 

"Oh, good morning, Rapunzel," Mulan greeted. "We just finished breakfast, but I can make some more, if you want."

Rapunzel shook her head. "Just coffee for me, thanks."

Rapunzel poured herself a cup of coffee, then went outside. She was just going to sit on the back porch, but when she saw Kayley sitting alone at the end of the pier, she decided to join her.

"Good morning, Rapunzel," Kayley said.

"Good morning. Do you want some company?"

"Sure." Kayley moved over a little to give Rapunzel some room to sit down.

"It's so quiet here," Rapunzel said.

Kayley nodded. "So different than back home. I could just stay here forever."

"Not me," Rapunzel said. "I'd get so bored here. It's nice for a visit, but I couldn't live here."

Kayley laughed, but didn't say anything. Rapunzel was surprised to find that she actually liked Kayley. Kayley wasn't like anyone else Rapunzel knew.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Kayley suddenly asked.

Rapunzel briefly hesitated. "I was just wondering if you and I will stay friends after Spring Break."

Kayley smiled. "I hope so."

"Really?"

Kayley nodded, then looked out at the lake. "Truth is: I don't really fit in with the other cheerleaders at my school. I mean, I like them just fine. No, that's not true, I don't like Fiona; she's kind of a bitch. But, Anastasia, Odette, Crysta and Thumbelina are nice girls. We just all have our own thing going on. Anastasia is completely wrapped up in her boyfriend, Dimitri, and wants to move to Paris, so that's all she talks about. Odette is sweet, but also very opinionated and she doesn't always think before she talks, so there are times-more often than not-that she ends up hurting someone's feelings. Then Derek, her boyfriend, has to apologize on her behalf because she doesn't think she did anything wrong. Crysta and her boyfriend, Zak, are nature activists and that's all she ever does. Thumbelina is a ditz and a klutz. I don't know how Cornelius can stand her; he's so smart." Kayley blushed when she realized she was rambling. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay," said Rapunzel. "So, what about you? Do you have a boyfriend?"

Kayley shook her head. "No. I've never had a boyfriend. I spend all my free time on the base with my dad. I'm going to enlist in the Army when I graduate high school. I wanna be just like him."

Rapunzel didn't know what to say to that. Kayley had her whole future figured out and Rapunzel had no idea what she wanted. The only thing she was certain of was that she wanted to be with Flynn.

When Esmeralda woke up, she reached over for Phoebus, even though she knew he wouldn't be there. He always got up early and Esmeralda didn't understand how; she hated mornings from the very core of her being. She closed her eyes and continued to lie in bed. When she couldn't fall back asleep, she dragged herself out of bed. She stumbled into the bathroom and turned on the shower. While she waited for the water to warm up, she brushed her teeth. When she got into the shower, she just stood under the water for a couple minutes, letting it warm her up.

"Mind if I join you?" Phoebus asked, getting into the shower.

Esmeralda was completely shocked and could only manage to shake her head. As she watched the water cascade over him, Esmeralda had to refrain from making a move on Phoebus, but Phoebus didn't seem to notice. Esmeralda went through her routine quickly, trying to keep herself distracted. When she finished, she attempted to get out of the shower, but Phoebus grabbed her arm and pulled her back in. He wrapped his mouth around hers in a hot, passionate kiss. Esmeralda couldn't help getting caught up in the moment and she slipped her tongue into Phoebus' mouth. He accepted it and lightly brushed his tongue over hers. With the water pouring over them and tasting his tongue, Esmeralda thought she was going to explode. She sighed and ran her nails down his back. He held her closer. Esmeralda could feel herself aching for Phoebus and she wondered if it was obvious to him what she was feeling. Finally, Phoebus broke the kiss and smiled at her. He then got out of the shower and Esmeralda was left alone.

_Damn. _


	46. Chapter 46

**Tuesday Afternoon...**

Even though Eric's house was on the beach, he decided to take everyone to a more touristy beach spot. Aurora couldn't believe how crowded the beach was. They all wandered around until they found enough empty space near a volleyball court. After they set up all the blankets and a couple umbrellas, everyone set out to start their activities. Philip, John, Pocahontas, Tinker Bell and Peter went straight into the water. Aurora sat down under an umbrella and watched Philip play in the water. Aurora had very fair skin and didn't like spending too much in the sun because she burned easily. Belle joined Aurora under the umbrella and started reading Treasure Island.

"Ariel, honey, please put some suntan lotion my back," Charlotte said, handing the bottle to Ariel. "I think today is the day I'm going to make my move with Rolfe."

Charlotte adjusted her bikini to give herself more cleavage, then lied down on the blanket to sun herself until Rolfe returned. Eric, Rolfe, Giselle and Edward had gone to the concession area to get drinks and snacks for everyone.

"Rolfe is such a gentleman," Charlotte said. "He actually slept on the floor and let me have the bed."

"That was nice of him," Ariel said.

Ariel stared out at the water. She couldn't wait for Eric to get back so they could go swimming. As if on cue, Eric and his friends returned then. Eric and Rolfe packed loaded the cooler while Giselle and Edward walked away, eating their ice cream cones. Charlotte pretended not to notice Rolfe, but Ariel could see her peeking out at him through her over-sized sunglasses.

"Hey, babe, you ready to go swimming," Eric asked Ariel.

Ariel nodded and jumped up. Eric took her hand and they walked down to the water. Ariel immediately ran in. The water was cold, but she didn't mind. Ariel and Eric waded out until the water was at Ariel's shoulders, then she went under the water. Eric went under as well and they resurfaced together.

"I love being in the water," Ariel said. "Charlotte calls me her little mermaid."

Eric laughed, but before he could say anything a beach ball hit him in the head. He turned around to see Peter, Philip, John, Pocahontas and Tinker Bell swimming towards them.

"Sorry about that," Peter said. "Tink can't catch to save her life."

Tinker Bell shot Peter a dirty look and then splashed him. Peter splashed her back and she swam away. Peter laughed and chased after her. Philip grabbed the beach ball and swam away as well. Ariel glanced over at the shore and saw Charlotte walking along the beach with Rolfe. Ariel gave her a small wave and turned her attention back to Eric just as Pocahontas and John swam away from them.

Ariel wrapped her arms around Eric's neck and kissed him. "I'm having so much fun with you."

Pocahontas and John swam back towards the shore. When the water became shallow, they stood up and started walking. When they got to the shore, John picked up Pocahontas and then lied her down on the wet sand. She smiled up at him, then rolled over so she was laying on top of him. She went to give him a kiss, but a wave crashed over them, startling her. John propped himself up on one elbow, then reached up and pulled her face down to his. Pocahontas sighed as he kissed her. John lied back down, bringing Pocahontas down with him. This time when the water splashed over them, they didn't notice.

Meg collapsed on the sand and opened a bottle of water. They had just finished the first volleyball game and Helga's team won.

"We got creamed!" Vanessa said, sitting down next to Meg.

"Only because Helga cheated," Thomas said. "Every time she served, she hit Meg in the head."

Vanessa nodded. "We need to figure out a way to prevent that during the next game."

"Well, Meg could always just _hit _the ball instead of letting it hit her," Gothel said.

Meg rolled her eyes and then splashed some of her water in Gothel's face. Gothel went to slap Meg, but Hades grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"I'll take up position next to Meg and block the hits," Gaston said.

Gaston's plan worked. Every time Helga served, Gaston intercepted the hit. Vanessa's team was now winning ten to five. Meg was positioned in the center of the front row with Gaston on her left and Thomas on her right. It was Helga's turn to serve again. She spun the ball in her hands and gave Meg a mischievous smile. Meg prepared to move quickly to get out of Gaston's way. Helga threw the ball up in the air and hit it as hard as she could over the net. Meg braced herself, but instead of the ball coming at her, it was aiming for Thomas. Before he had a chance to react, the ball hit him in the face. Thomas stumbled back and put his hand over his eye.

Meg rushed over to him. "Are you all right?"

Thomas nodded and moved his hand. A bruise was starting form under his eye. Meg looked over at Helga and shot her an angry look. Helga winked at her and got ready to serve again. This time, when the ball came over the net, Meg spiked it as hard as she could. She wasn't really aiming the ball, she just wanted to let out her anger, but it went straight down and hit Hercules. Meg couldn't help but laugh.

Vanessa's team won that game and the one after that, ruining Helga's undefeated title.

"Our sandcastle turned out great," Belle said as Adam was finishing up a couple last minute touches.

"You guys did a good job," Aurora said. "Here, let me get a picture of you two with it."

Belle and Adam stood next to the castle and Adam put his arm around here. He was wearing all black and he was almost too hot to touch.

"Aw!" Aurora said. "Princess Belle and Prince Adam!"

After Aurora took the picture, Belle turned towards Adam.

"You feel really hot," Belle said. "You should take that t-shirt off."

"No. I'm fine," Adam muttered.

"Adam, honey, it's not good for you to get that hot. You're gonna get heat exhaustion," Belle said.

"Leave it alone, Belle."

"I'm just lookin' out for you."

Belle started to pull Adam's t-shirt off, but Adam grabbed her wrists and shoved her down. Belle fell into their sandcastle and watched as Adam stormed away. Belle glanced over at Aurora, who was staring at her in horror. She noticed everyone else had seen Adam shove her to the ground and they were also all staring at her. Belle narrowed her eyes and went after Adam. When she caught up to him, she pushed him from behind. It wasn't a hard push and he didn't even stumble. Adam turned around with an angry look on his face. When he saw it was Belle, he stopped walking.

"What the hell was that all about?" Belle demanded. "You don't push your girlfriend onto the ground; especially when she's the _only _one on your side. I was just trying to look out for you and you-"

"I'm sorry, Belle," Adam said.

"You're sorry? That's not really good enough, Adam," Belle stated. "I don't understand what's going on with you."

Adam took Belle's hand and led her away from everybody. When he was sure no one from their school could see them, he stopped. He turned to face Belle and slowly took off his shirt. Belle gasped. Adam's entire torso was covered in bruises and cuts. It looked worse than the night he had come over to her house. She walked around him and saw his sides and back were completely covered as well.

"I didn't want anyone to see this," Adam said.

"What happened?"

"Me and my dad got into a fight on Easter. I stormed out and went to the treehouse. But, he followed me and was pissed when he found out I had a secret hiding place," Adam said. "He grabbed a thick stick and beat me with it. Eventually the stick broke and he continued to hit me with his fists and then started kicking me in the sides."

Belle couldn't stop the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. "Adam, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I-I shouldn't have-"

"It's okay, Belle," Adam said as he put his shirt back on. "You didn't do anything wrong. I'm the one who acted like a jerk. I'm really sorry."

Belle hugged Adam and buried her face in his shirt. He winced in pain. She didn't want to hurt him, so she started to pull away. But, Adam wrapped his arms tightly around her and held her close to him.


	47. Chapter 47

**Tuesday Night... **

"She was a bitch," Aladdin said.

Jasmine sighed as she stared up at the ceiling. It was two o'clock in the morning and Aladdin and Flynn had been talking on the walkie-talkies for the last three hours. Mostly about work. Right now they were talking about a rude customer they had last week. Jasmine hadn't been able to fall asleep since they started talking and she was tired. She rolled over and looked up at Aladdin. She tried to give him the puppy dog look, but it was too dark and he couldn't see her.

"Aladdin, can we please go to bed now?" Jasmine asked.

"Yeah. In just a minute, babe," Aladdin replied.

Jasmine groaned. "You said that an hour and a half ago."

Jasmine straddled Aladdin and took the walkie-talkie from him. "Rapunzel, are you still awake?"

After a few seconds Rapunzel responded. "Yes. These two gossip girls have been keeping me up all night."

Jasmine laughed. "Same here. Meet me in the hall."

Jasmine gave Aladdin a quick kiss on the nose and handed him the walkie-talkie. She quietly snuck out into the hall. Rapunzel was slipping on her fuzzy purple robe as she walked out of her room. Jasmine suddenly felt a little under dressed. She was only wearing Aladdin's t-shirt and a pair of red boy shorts panties. Just as Jasmine and Rapunzel met up at the top of the stairs, Kayley came out of the other upstairs bedroom. Startled, both girls jumped.

"You scared us, Kayley," Rapunzel whispered. "We didn't know anyone was using that room."

"I'm sorry," Kayley said. She was wearing a pair of black pajama pants and a tight, faded Aerosmith t-shirt.

"What are you doing up so late?" Jasmine asked Kayley.

"I just needed to get a glass of water."

Rapunzel nodded. "Flynn and Aladdin were keeping us up, so we were just headed down to the kitchen as well. Though, I'm not sure why."

Rapunzel sat down at the kitchen table. Kayley got some water and then joined Rapunzel. Jasmine walked over to the freezer and pulled out the cookie dough ice cream. Kayley and Rapunzel's faces lit up.

"Score!" Kayley whispered.

Jasmine set a couple bowls on the counter and grabbed some spoons out of the drawer. As she was pushing in the drawer, she accidentally closed it on her finger. She yelped in pain and dropped the spoons. They hit the floor with loud metallic thuds. The girls broke out into a fit of giggles.

"Shhh!" Rapunzel hissed in between giggles.

As Jasmine bent down to pick up the spoons, the kitchen light came on. Mulan was standing in the doorway in a silky pink nightgown, holding a baseball bat. When she saw the other girls she lowered the bat.

"What are you guys doing?" Mulan asked.

"Getting a late night snack," Jasmine said, rinsing off the spoons. "Want some?"

Mulan nodded. She leaned the bat against the wall, but it immediately fell over and crashed to the floor, sending the girls into another fit of giggles. Mulan left the bat where it was and went to help Jasmine serve the ice cream.

"What the hell is with all the noise?" Esmeralda demanded, walking into the kitchen. All she had on was a pair of Phoebus' boxer shorts and a bra.

"Sorry. We were just getting some ice cream," Jasmine said.

"Why don't you join us?" Rapunzel said. "Since you're up anyway."

"Fine," Esmeralda grumbled. She collapsed onto one of the chairs and rested her head on the table.

Jasmine and Mulan brought the bowls of ice cream over to the table and sat down.

"Let's play 'Tell the Truth'," Rapunzel suggested.

"What is that?" Mulan asked.

"It's like 'Truth or Dare', but without the dare part," Kayley explained.

"That sounds fun," Jasmine said.

"I'll start," Rapunzel said. "Kayley, tell the truth; when you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?"

"A vet," Kayley replied. "But, that changed the first time I ever saw an injured animal. I cried so hard and knew there was no way I could handle seeing that everyday."

Rapunzel nodded. "Now it's your turn to ask a question."

Kayley thought for a minute. "Mulan, tell the truth; do you like being home-schooled?"

"Not at all. I wish I could go to a regular school. But, my mom won't let me," Mulan replied.

"Esmeralda, tell the truth; what are you intentions with Phoebus?"

Esmeralda lifted her head and looked up at Mulan. "What do you mean?"

Mulan frowned. "Phoebus told me you were the one he lost his virginity to."

"Oh." Esmeralda started picking at her ice cream. "Look, I didn't mean to do that him. I wasn't in my right mind last summer. I really care about Phoebus."

"You hurt him, Esmeralda," Mulan stated.

"I know, but I wasn't trying to. I honestly didn't think it meant anything to him," Esmeralda said. "I thought he was just like every other guy-"

"Phoebus is _not _other guys," Mulan interrupted.

"I know that now!" Esmeralda snapped. "I would never to anything to hurt him again."

"You mean like kiss another boy in front of him?" Mulan asked.

Esmeralda narrowed her eyes at Mulan. "That was nothing and he knows it."

Jasmine cleared her throat. "Esmeralda, answer Mulan's question and let's move on."

Esmeralda didn't take her eyes off Mulan. "I love Phoebus, and I'm in this for the long run."

"Now you have to ask a question, Esmeralda," Rapunzel said.

"Jasmine, tell the truth; are you happy with the way your life is right now?" Esmeralda asked.

Jasmine smiled. "Yes. Rapunzel, tell the truth; where do you see yourself in ten years?"

Rapunzel hesitated. "I don't know. But, hopefully I'll still be with Flynn."

"Esmeralda?"

Everyone turned to see a groggy Phoebus standing in the doorway.

"Yeah, baby?"

"Are you going coming back to bed?" Phoebus asked.

"Of course." Esmeralda got up and walked over to Phoebus.

Esmeralda pulled Phoebus into a kiss. She tried to make it as seductive as she could. She pressed her half naked body against his and he responded by slipping his tongue in her mouth. The kiss only lasted a few seconds. Esmeralda gently bit his lower lip as she pulled away and he grabbed her ass. As they walked away, Esmeralda turned and winked at Mulan.


	48. Chapter 48

**Wednesday Morning...**

When Belle woke up, her neck and back were sore and her left arm was asleep. It took her a moment to remember that she and Adam slept on the couch.

Aurora had been so mad at Adam that she refused to let him sleep in their room. Belle chose to sleep on the couch with Adam, instead of staying in the room with Aurora. That started a fight between Belle and Aurora which ended with them not speaking to each other.

The couch wasn't very wide and Belle had been pinned between Adam and the back of the couch. Belle needed to stretch, but couldn't move. She gently shook Adam.

"What is it?" Adam groaned.

"I can't move."

Adam sat up and Belle rolled onto her stomach and stretched out her legs.

"I'm so sore," Belle said.

Adam straddled her and started rubbing her back. Belle closed her eyes and sighed.

"I'm not worth ruining your friendship with Aurora," Adam said.

"It's not ruined. It was just a fight, we'll be fine," Belle said.

"You can't blame her for being upset. I don't know why _you're _not mad at me."

"You didn't mean to do it, Adam. I should have just listened to you," Belle responded.

"Belle, I shoved you onto the ground. I got mad and acted out in violence. I'm _just _like my dad," Adam stated.

Belle rolled over on her back so she was now looking up at Adam. She slowly reached up under his shirt and put her hand over one of the cuts on his chest. Adam winced in pain. "You are _nothing _like your dad. I wish you'd stop saying that. Everyone makes mistakes. Yesterday you made a big one. But you would never do _this_ to someone. Your dad is a bad person, Adam, but you aren't."

Adam leaned down and pressed his mouth against Belle's. At first, Belle was taken by surprise; Adam had never kissed her so intensely before. She reached up, entangled her fingers in his hair and held his head in place. She didn't want the kiss to end.

"God, I love you, Belle," Adam said, briefly breaking the kiss.

"I love you, too, Adam."

Ariel was startled awake by a rapid knocking on the door. She looked over at Eric, but he was still sleeping. She groaned and got out of bed. Ariel yawned as he opened the door. Charlotte was standing in the hall with wide eyes and a big smile.

"I did it!" Charlotte said.

"You did what?" Ariel yawned again.

"Slept with Rolfe!"

"What!" Ariel shrieked.

"Be quiet!" Charlotte hissed.

Charlotte grabbed Ariel's hand and pulled her down the hall and out the back door. Charlotte dragged the stunned Ariel down to the beach. Charlotte stared at her best friend, waiting for her to say something.

When Ariel regained her composure, she frowned. "Please tell me you mean you slept in the same bed with Rolfe."

Charlotte shook her head. "No. I lost my virginity to him last night."

"Charlotte! What were you _thinking_? You don't even know him. Or love him. How could you just give yourself to him?" Ariel demanded.

Charlotte no longer looked excited. "I got caught up in the moment. He was so sweet and charming. And Robert and Nancy were out for the night."

Ariel didn't mean to make her friend feel bad, she was just worried about her. "Did use protection?"

"Of course!"

Ariel chewed on her lower lip for a moment. "How was it?"

"It hurt at first, and I bled a little, but after a few minutes the pain went away and then it felt great," Charlotte said.

"Just, be careful, Charlotte. I don't want to see you get hurt," Ariel said.

"He's not going to hurt me."

After Meg finished her workout, she stretched out on the pool deck to start her cool-down. She felt great and energetic; she was ready to face whatever the day threw at her.

"Hi, Meg," Hercules said, coming up behind her.

_Except that... _

Meg turned and looked up at Hercules. "I'm busy."

Hercules sat down next to Meg and she glared at him. He didn't seem to notice. "How are you doing?" he asked her.

"I'm great."

"I'm sorry about the way Helga has been treating you and your new boyfriend, what's-his-name," Hercules said.

"His name is Thomas," Meg snapped. "And I'm not really concerned about the way Helga has been treating me. She's a bitch and I expect nothing less from her. I can handle her. What I _can't_ handle are your yo-yo feelings. One minute you're telling me you miss me and the next you're all over Helga. Personally, I don't care you have feelings for. But, either way, I want you to leave me alone. Helga is only coming after me and Thomas because she thinks I'm trying to steal you away from her. She left me alone until you started talking to me again."

"Meg-"

"Go away."

"Would you please just listen to me?"

Meg let out a small, frustrated growl. "Fine! I'll leave."

Meg stood up and started walking back into the house. Hercules grabbed her arm and pulled her into a rough kiss. Meg twisted out of his grip and shoved him into the pool.

"Jerk!"

Meg turned to head inside, but she was suddenly pushed into the pool as well. When she surfaced she saw Helga standing by the pool, beside a wet Hercules. Helga reached down and grabbed Meg by her hair. Meg reached up and clawed at Helga's hand.

"Let go of me!" Meg demanded.

"Stay away from my boyfriend." Helga shoved Meg's head under the water, then went into the

Pocahontas turned off the shower. The hot water was immediately replaced by cold air. She shivered as she wrung out her hair. When she stepped out of the shower she was shocked to see Rolfe standing at the sink. He turned around to face her before she had a chance to grab the towel.

"What are you doing in here?" Pocahontas asked, wrapping the towel around herself.

Rolfe quickly turned away. "I'm so sorry. Nancy and I made plans for today, but we were running late, so we were just gonna share a bathroom to get ready. She said she'd leave the door unlocked for me. This door was unlocked, so I just assumed you were Nancy. I'm sorry."

"This is unbelievable." Pocahontas grabbed her clothes and stormed towards the door.

"I swear this was just a mistake," Rolfe said.

Pocahontas flung open the door and almost ran into Tinker Bell.

"Watch where you're going," Tinker Bell muttered.

"Pocahontas-" Rolfe came out after Pocahontas, but stopped when he saw Tinker Bell. "Oh, hi, Tink."

Tinker Bell winked at Rolfe, and then walked away.

"Tink, wait!" Pocahontas called after her. "This isn't..." She let her voice trail off when she realized Tinker Bell could no longer hear her. She shot Rolfe a dirty look before going to her room.

Pocahontas was just finishing getting ready, when John came into the room.

"You showered with Rolfe!" John accused.

"No, I did not," Pocahontas said. "It was just a misunderstanding that Tinker Bell twisted around and turned into a rumor."

"Whatever. I should have known as soon as I saw Rolfe here that something like this would happen," John said.

"Something like what, John?" Pocahontas asked, getting angry at his implication.

"I knew something would happen between you two," John replied.

"Nothing happened," Pocahontas said. "I'm not out sleeping around with other guys, John."

"That's not what I meant," John said. "I can tell you still have feelings for him."

"I never had feelings for Rolfe! You don't know what you're talking about!" Pocahontas snapped.

As the words were out of her mouth, Pocahontas regretted it. Nothing made John angry quicker than telling him he didn't know what he was talking about. John turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.


	49. Chapter 49

**Wednesday Afternoon... **

Rapunzel was braiding her blonde hair into pigtails when Jasmine came into her room.

"Are you almost ready?" Jasmine asked.

"Yup!" Rapunzel replied as she wrapped a hair tie around the end of her braid.

For the most part, the eight friends had spent their vacation hanging out at the cabin. But, today they decided to go hiking. Rapunzel slipped her phone in her pocket and followed Jasmine downstairs. Everyone else was outside, waiting for them. Phoebus was adjusting the straps of his backpack, while Esmeralda stood next to him, texting. Mulan and Kayley were talking excitedly about something. Aladdin and Flynn were testing out their walkie-talkies.

"Are you really bringing those?" Rapunzel asked Flynn.

"Yeah! We want to test the range on theses babies," Flynn replied.

Jasmine playfully rolled her eyes before kissing Aladdin's cheek.

"There's only one trail for about a half a mile, but then it forks off and those trails fork off as well," Phoebus said. "It'll be really easy for us to separate and get lost."

Everyone nodded in acknowledgement and followed Phoebus to the woods. Esmeralda took Phoebus' hand, aware of the fact that Mulan was watching her. There was a thick tension between the girls since last night. Esmeralda didn't understand why Mulan was getting so defensive of Phoebus.

"Guys, look!" Rapunzel whispered.

Everyone stopped and looked where Rapunzel was pointing. Several yards from the trail was a deer.

"Oh, wow. I've never seen a deer in real life before," Jasmine said. She pulled out her iPhone to take a picture. She zoomed in as far as he could and snapped the picture. Unfortunately, the sound of the camera spooked the deer and it ran away.

The friends continued on their way. When they reached the fork in the trail, they paused.

"Which way should we go?" Kayley asked.

"Well, eventually, every trail leads to a large clearing about ten miles from here. So, either way it doesn't really matter," Phoebus said.

"How 'bout a race?" Flynn suggested. "We split up and see who gets to the clearing first."

"But, Phoebus said we could easily get lost," Rapunzel pointed out.

"You can," Phoebus said. "Not all of the trails are clearly marked and you could possibly stray and never make it to the clearing."

"Maybe we shouldn't split up," Esmeralda said.

"Aw, come on, where's your sense of adventure?" Aladdin asked. "We'll be fine. We all have our phones. And if we don't have a signal, we have the walkie-talkies. Each group will have one."

"How do we determine the teams?" Mulan asked.

Flynn gave her a sly grin. "Boys versus girls!"

"That's not fair, you'll have Phoebus," Esmeralda said. "Of course you're going to win."

"What's the matter, Essie?" Mulan asked. "Don't think you could handle losing?"

Esmeralda scowled at Mulan. "It's _Esmeralda. _And it's not that; they have an unfair advantage."

"Well, they may have Phoebus, but we out-number them. I'd say it's pretty evenly matched," Kayley said.

"It's settled, then," Aladdin said. "See ya on the flip side!"

The girls kissed their men before heading off in different directions. Rapunzel clipped Flynn's walkie-talkie to her front pants pocket. Esmeralda sulked at the fact that she was stuck with Mulan for the next couple hours instead of being with Phoebus. She couldn't believe they had started out being friends and then Mulan just turned on her. Jasmine walked up beside Esmeralda and linked her arm through Esmeralda's.

"What's going on with you and Mulan?" Jasmine asked. "I thought you were guys were friends."

"We were," Esmeralda said.

"Things got pretty heated between you two last night, what happened?"

"I don't know," Esmeralda admitted. "It's like all of a sudden she has a problem with me being with Phoebus."

Jasmine thought for a moment. "Maybe she likes Phoebus."

"I don't think so. She was happy for us at first," Esmeralda said. "Plus, she likes this other guy named Shang."

Jasmine nodded. "Well, didn't you tell me Mulan is Phoebus' best friend?"

"Yeah."

"Then maybe she's just trying to look out for him. I mean, you do have quite a little reputation," Jasmine said.

Esmeralda narrowed her eyes at Jasmine.

Jasmine put up her hands in surrender. "Sorry. But, it _is _true."

"I have never cheated on one of my boyfriends," Esmeralda said.

"I know that, Esmeralda, but she doesn't. You can't really blame her for being protective of her best friend," Jasmine said. "If you were dating a guy who was known for sleeping around, I'd be acting the same way Mulan is."

Esmeralda sighed in defeat. Of course, Jasmine was right. Esmeralda was so quick to get defensive, that she didn't really think things through, or try to see the situation from Mulan's point of view.

"Whataya think?" Rapunzel asked. "Which way should we go?"

The girls stopped at the fork and looked down both paths. The one to the left looked pretty worn. The one to the right didn't look much like a trail; the dirt path had some grass growing over it and didn't seem to have had any visitors in a while.

"Let's go right," Kayley said.

"I disagree," Rapunzel countered. "That's one of those trails Phoebus warned us about."

"Rapunzel's right," Jasmine said. "We should stick to the marked trail."

"You can do that. I'm going this way." Kayley started walking down the trail on the right.

Mulan and Esmeralda followed Kayley. Jasmine and Esmeralda gave each other wary looks, but then went after the other girls. If they got lost, at least they'd all still be together. The trail twisted and weaved through the trees and Rapunzel was starting to feel more uneasy.

"How do we even know which direction we're going in?" Rapunzel asked.

Jasmine took Rapunzel's hand. "Don't worry. We won't get lost."

"What's that?" Kayley asked, after they had been walking for well over an hour.

"I don't see anything," Mulan said.

Kayley ignored her, and started heading of the trail, to where she had been pointing.

"What are you doing?" Jasmine asked.

"I think there's somebody out there," Kayley replied.

Rapunzel looked around nervously. "So?"

Kayley looked back at them. "Maybe they're lost."

"And maybe they're a rapist serial killer," Esmeralda said.

"I have to agree with Esmeralda on this one," Mulan said. "We should just stay on the trail and not go chasing after strangers."

Kayley shrugged and continued walking into the woods. Knowing they couldn't let their friend go out there alone, the other girls followed after her. The deeper they went, the denser the woods became. Kayley soon lost sight of the person she had seen. Jasmine turned around, but she couldn't see much behind her, let alone the ghost of a trail they had been on. She realized she was still holding Rapunzel's hand and was somewhat glad; at least she wouldn't get separated from her.

"I don't see anybody," Esmeralda said.

Kayley stopped and looked around. "Yeah, I don't either."

Mulan groaned. "Kayely-"

Mulan was cut off by the sound of a twig snapping somewhere nearby. The girls froze. Jasmine wanted to turn and run back to the trail. Rapunzel squeezed her hand and Jasmine could tell she was thinking the same thing. The person was coming closer to them and they could hear they were coming from the right of them. Kayley silently motioned for them to follow her. They continued going forward. They wandered for a few minutes, until they couldn't hear the other person anymore.

"This was stupid, Kayley," Mulan kissed.

"I'm sorry," Kayley whispered.

"I think we should try going back," Jasmine said. "We could be heading right towards his camp."

"I agree, let's go back," Rapunzel said. "I _really_ don't want to run into any ruffians or thugs."

"Maybe we should call the boys," Esmeralda suggested.

"No way," Mulan said. "They can't help us, and they'd just mock us about it."

Esmeralda frowned. "You're right."

Someone tapped Rapunzel's shoulder. She jumped and let out a small shriek. The girls turned around to see a boy about their age standing there. He was tall, and actually good-looking.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," he said. "I promise I'm not a ruffian or a thug."

Rapunzel looked down and blushed.

"What are you doing out here?" Esmeralda asked. "Are you lost?"

He shook his head. "I'm camping. I come out here all the time. I would know these woods if I were blind."

"Why are you following us?" Mulan demanded.

"I thought you were lost. How did you stray off the path?"

"We saw you and thought you were lost," Rapunzel said. "We were gonna help you. But, then _we_ got lost."

He laughed. "You guys aren't a very good rescue team."

Jasmine shrugged. "At least we tried."

"And a valiant attempt it was," he said. "I appreciate it."

"What's your name?" Esmeralda asked.

"Garrett."

"I'm Esmeralda. This is Jasmine, Rapunzel, Mulan and Kayely."

Garrett's gaze lingered a little longer on Kayley. He looked away when she made eye contact with him.

"Garrett, can you help us get back to the trail?" Rapunzel asked. "We're trying to get to the clearing."

Garrett nodded. "No problem. Follow me."

It only took a couple minutes for Garrett to lead them to the trail.

"Thank you so much," Jasmine said.

"Do you know the quickest way to get to the clearing?" Mulan asked.

Garrett shrugged. "Sure. But, I wouldn't be able to explain the way to you. I'd have to show you."

"Would you?" Mulan asked.

Garrett looked at the girls. "I don't know about that. What if you're actually serial killers?"

"Oh, yes, serial killers who are afraid of ruffians and thugs," Esmeralda said, winking at Rapunzel.

Rapunzel blushed again and Garrett laughed.

"All right, I'll show you the way," he said.

As the other girls chatted up Garrett, Jasmine noticed Kayley had been awfully quiet this whole time and was hanging back behind the group.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Jasmine asked her.

Kayley smiled at her. "They're probably not worth that much."

"Sure they are."

Kayley hesitated. "It's Garrett. I think I like him."

Jasmine nodded. "Yeah, he's pretty cute."

"I've never had a crush on anyone before, Jasmine. I don't know what to do," Kayley admitted.

"Just talk to him."

Kayley's eyes grew wide. "I don't know how to talk to a boy."

Jasmine laughed. "It's super easy. Look, you don't know anything about Garrett, so just start with the basics: what school he goes to, what he's into, his favorite class. Stuff like that. The conversation will carry itself after that."

"How can I talk to him with the other girls around him?"

Jasmine thought for a moment. "When we get to the clearing, I'll invite him to join us for lunch. You can talk to him then."

Kayley nodded. "Thanks, Jasmine."

They reached the clearing about an hour and a half later. The clearing had a bunch of picnic tables and some grills scattered across it. The boys were sitting at one of the tables, and Phoebus was getting a grill started. Rapunzel ran over to Flynn. She sat down on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. Flynn kissed her, and ran one of her braids through his hand, picking out some small leaves that had gotten stuck in her hair.

"Thank you for getting us here," Jasmine said to Garrett. "Would you like to join us for lunch?"

Garrett smiled. "Sure, thank you."

Jasmine introduced the boys to Garrett and Phoebus threw another hot dog on the grill. Jasmine convinced Rapunzel, Flynn, Esmeralda, Mulan and Aladdin to toss around the Frisbee to give Kayely a chance to talk to Garrett. But, Jasmine stayed close so she could hear their conversation.

"Hi," Kayely said, sitting down across from Garrett.

Garrett looked up and smiled at her. "Hi. Kayely, right?"

Kayley nodded. "Yeah."

"I've never seen you around here before," Garrett said. "Where are you from?"

"Camelot."

"No kidding!"

Kayely shook her head. "No. I'm a junior at Camelot High School."

Garrett smiled. "I live here in Fern Gully, but my dad got a new job in Camelot and I'm gonna be moving there this summer. I'll be attending Camelot High School next year for my senior year."


	50. Chapter 50

**Wednesday Night...**

Aurora looked around Atlantis as she danced with Philip. Atlantis was an under 21 club that Eric's aunt owned. It was decorated to resemble ancient ruins and there were a couple fountains on the walls that looked like waterfalls.

"This place is so cool!" Aurora shouted over the music. "This is exactly what I need to keep my mind off Belle and Adam!"

Eric, Ariel, Peter, Tinker Bell, Naveen, Tiana, Robert, Nancy, Giselle and Edward were also on the dance floor. The DJ was playing "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga and everyone was singing along.

Meg and Thomas were sitting at one of the booths to the side, watching everyone dance. Meg really hadn't wanted to come, but Vanessa insisted that she had to break out of her comfort zone and have some fun on her vacation. The place was surprisingly crowded for a Wednesday night, but Meg assumed that was because it was Spring Break.

"This isn't as much fun as I thought it'd be," Thomas said.

Meg shook her head. "No, it's not. But I know how we can make it a little more fun."

Before Thomas could say anything, Meg pulled his face to hers and kissed him. Thomas leaned into her, pinning her against the booth. Soon, they were making out, completely oblivious to the other people in the club.

When the song ended, Eric led Ariel over to the soda bar.

"Aunt Calliope!" Eric called out.

The lady behind the bar smiled at him and walked over to them. She leaned over the bar and kissed Eric's cheek.

"Hey, kiddo!" Calliope said. "How have you been?"

"Great! Aunt Calliope, I want you to meet my new girlfriend." Eric put his arm around Ariel. "This is Ariel."

"Well, look at you!" Calliope said. "Is that your natural hair color?"

Ariel blushed. "Yeah."

"It's beautiful."

"Thank you."

Eric started talking to Calliope and catching up. Ariel sat down on one of the stools to wait for him. Vanessa and Gaston were standing at the bar next to her, waiting to get some Cokes. Vanessa leaned over the bar, trying to get the attention of the other server behind the bar. While her back was turned, Helga walked over and kissed Gaston. Gaston pushed her off him.

Helga sighed. "You're so hot."

Vanessa turned around and glared at Helga. "What do you want?"

"She just kissed me," Gaston said, wiping his lips with the back of his hand.

Vanessa shoved Helga. "Leave my boyfriend alone."

Helga threw her drink in Vanessa's face. Vanessa scowled at Helga and slapped her. Helga went after Vanessa, but Gaston stepped between them.

"Knock it off, Helga. No matter what you do, I will never be interested in you," Gaston said. "I love Vanessa."

Helga gave Gaston an evil smile. "I can wait. She's probably only a couple cuts away from killing herself, anyway."

Vanessa lunged at Helga and tackled her to the floor, this time Gaston didn't intervene. Calliope jumped over the bar and pulled Vanessa off Helga. She stood between the two girls, while Gaston held Vanessa back.

"That is _enough, _you two!" Calliope demanded. "You need to stop this!"

"But, Calliope-"

Calliope turned sharply to face Vanessa, cutting her off. "The only reason I'm not going to throw you out, Vanessa, is because you're Eric's ex and you two are still friends. But, don't you dare try to pull something like this again!" With that, Calliope walked away.

Ariel turned to look at Eric. He was looking down at the floor and nervously running his hand through his hair.

"You dated _Vanessa?" _Ariel asked.

"Yeah, but it didn't last long," Eric said. "You knew I dated other girls before you."

"Yeah, but I didn't know that included Vanessa. The same girl who spit on me in the hallway just a couple weeks ago," Ariel said. "And you're still _friends _with her? You didn't tell me you were still friends with your exes."

"Wait. Vanessa did_ what _to you?" Eric asked, looking upset. "Look, Ariel, her and I aren't good friends and we don't hang out or anything. I just don't like to end relationships on a bad note."

Ariel sighed. "All right. I'm sorry I got mad."

"Now, tell me what happened between you and Vanessa," Eric said.

"Nothing, don't worry about that. I was just trying to prove a point."

Meg and Thomas pulled away from each other when Vanessa and Gaston walked over to the table. Vanessa had a cut on her lower lip and she was bleeding.

"Vanessa, you're bleeding!" Meg said. "What happened?"

Vanessa ran her tongue over the cut, then gently wiped the blood off with the side of her hand. "I got into a fight with Helga."

"She kicked Helga's ass," Gaston corrected.

Meg couldn't help feeling proud of her best friend. "Way to go, Nessa!"

Vanessa didn't look impressed. "Gaston and I are going to sneak off for a little bit to...have a little fun. We'll be back later."

Thomas looked confused after they walked away.

"They're gonna go hook up somewhere," Meg clarified.

Thomas nodded, then pulled Meg onto his lap and continued kissing her.

Belle and Adam were sitting at one of the tables, when Hercules approached them. Belle looked up at him, confused. She couldn't remember Hercules ever talking to her. Hercules glanced at Belle briefly, but then turned his attention to Adam.

"What is your problem?" Hercules demanded.

Adam had no idea what Hercules was talking about. "Excuse me?"

"Dude, we all saw you hit your girlfriend yesterday," Hercules said. "What kind of man does that?"

Adam stood up and met Hercules' gaze. "What happened yesterday is none of your business."

"Well, I can't just sit back after I witnessed you hurt your girlfriend like that," Hercules said.

Adam gave Hercules an angry look and grabbed his shirt. Belle quickly got up and pushed herself between them.

"He didn't hurt me," Belle said. "What you saw was just a misunderstanding. Adam doesn't hit me."

Adam let go of Hercules' shirt and Hercules stepped back.

"You don't have to lie for him," Hercules said.

"I'm not. Adam is a good guy and would never hurt me," Belle said. "You don't know the whole story about what happened yesterday. And, Adam's right, it's none of your business. I appreciate you trying to help, but there's nothing going on here."

Hercules didn't look convinced, but he walked away anyway.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you," Adam said.

Belle smiled at him. "Good things happen to good people."

Pocahontas spotted Rolfe leaning against a wall, talking to Charlotte. Rather, Charlotte was talking to him and he looked frustrated. Pocahontas grabbed John's hand and dragged him over to Rolfe. When Charlotte saw Pocahontas, she shot her a dirty look, but Pocahontas ignored it.

"We need to straighten this whole thing out," Pocahontas said to Rolfe.

"Look, man, nothing happened," Rolfe said to John. "It was just a mix up. I thought she was someone else."

"Why are you showering with other girls?" Charlotte demanded.

"I wasn't. We were just going to share a bathroom to get ready," Rolfe said.

"Did you see my girlfriend naked?" John asked.

Rolfe avoided John's gaze. "Yes, but very briefly. I turned around right away."

Charlotte's eyes grew wide with anger. She stomped on his foot with her high heel and stormed off. Rolfe went after her. Pocahontas sighed and slumped against the wall. She tried to fix things, but somehow made it worse. She looked up at John, but his expression was blank.

"John, I know this looks bad, but I swear nothing happened," Pocahontas said.

"I believe you," John said.

"You do?"

John nodded. "I have no reason not to trust you, Pocahontas. I was just completely in shock this morning and didn't know how to react."

Pocahontas reached out and took John's hand. "So, you don't hate me?"

John brushed a strand of hair off Pocahontas' face and gently kissed her. "I could never hate you."


	51. Chapter 51

**Thursday Morning... **

Jasmine rushed through her shower and the rest of her routine. She woke up late and missed breakfast. She hurried downstairs, but froze as she passed the bathroom. She could hear someone throwing up inside. Jasmine's heart sank. _Calm down, Jasmine, _she told herself. _You don't know it's Esmeralda. Someone could actually be sick... _

But, Jasmine's suspicions were confirmed when she walked into the kitchen and saw everyone, except Esmeralda.

"Good morning, beautiful," Aladdin greeted her.

Jasmine gave her boyfriend a distracted kiss, but turned her attention to Phoebus.

"Phoebus, can I talk to you for a minute?" Jasmine asked.

Aladdin raised his eyebrow in confusion. "Is everything all right?"

Jasmine smiled at Aladdin. "Yeah, I just want to go over some things with him for the trip home tomorrow."

Phoebus followed Jasmine out into the hallway. "What's up?"

"Is there somewhere private we can go to talk?" Jasmine asked.

Phoebus gave Jasmine a suspicious look, but led her to the study. Jasmine closed the door behind them and locked it.

"What's goin' on, Jaz?" Phoebus asked.

"I'm really worried about Esmeralda," Jasmine replied. "I just heard her throwing up in the bathroom. And that's the second time I've caught her since we've been here."

Phoebus frowned. "Yeah, I've noticed her sneaking off after every meal."

"We have to tell her parents," Jasmine stated.

"I agree," Phoebus said. "We'll do it when we get back. She works on Saturday, so let's go over there then."

Jasmine nodded. "Sounds good."

The two of them walked back into the kitchen. Everyone was still in there, finishing up their breakfast and Esmeralda had rejoined them. Jasmine sat down next to Aladdin and he set a bowl of fruit salad in front of her. She smiled at him and thanked him for the breakfast.

"I have a little bit of a surprise for everyone," Phoebus announced. "It seems our new friend, Garrett, has a boat and has invited all of us to go out on it this morning."

Everyone started talking excitedly.

Phoebus smiled at the reaction his announcement got. "We gotta leave here in about an hour."

Everyone changed into their swimsuits while Phoebus packed some food into a cooler. When everyone was ready, they met out in the driveway. They decided to just take one car to meet Garrett. The SUV didn't have enough seats for everyone, so Rapunzel had to sit on Flynn's lap. When they arrived, Garrett was already there and waiting on the dock for them. They hurried onto the boat and Garrett untied it from the dock. He jumped on board and then pulled away. Garrett had a good-sized boat, which could easily accommodate ten to fifteen people at one time. Esmeralda and Jasmine stretched out on the front of the boat to work on their tans. Phoebus hung out by Garrett. Flynn and Aladdin were sitting on one side of the boat talking about work, basketball and MMA. Rapunzel, Mulan and Kayley sat on the other side of the boat, just watching the scenery.

"This is great," Esmeralda said.

Jasmine nodded in agreement, but she had a hard time enjoying herself. All she could think about was Esmeralda; she was so worried about her.

Rapunzel noticed that Kayley's gaze kept falling on Garrett.

"Ya know, Garrett's pretty cute," Rapunzel said.

Kayley blushed. "Yeah, he is."

"Do you..._like_ Garrett?" Mulan asked.

Kayley nodded. "Yes. And I found out he's moving to Camelot this summer."

Rapunzel smiled. "That kinda sounds like fate to me."

"I don't know about that," Kayley said. "We get along just fine, but I'm sure he'll find someone else at school. There are much prettier girls at my school than me."

"Kayley, you have a head start here," Rapunzel said. "You're meeting him now and you're the only one who knows he'll be there over the summer. Use this advantage to start building a relationship with him now, before he meets those other girls."

"I don't know, Rapunzel. What if he doesn't like me in that way?" Kayley asked.

"Then you'll have a new friend," Mulan said.

Rapunzel nodded. "He's moving to a new place where he doesn't know anyone. You'll be his only friend there."

"Good point," Kayley said.

Rapunzel looked over at Garrett. Phoebus had gone to join Flynn and Aladdin and Garrett was now standing alone.

"He's alone now," Rapunzel said. "Go talk to him."

Kayley nodded and walked over to Garrett. Garrett's face lit up when he saw Kayley. They started talking and hit off right away.

"I'm so not looking forward to going back home tomorrow," Esmeralda said.

"I know what you mean," Jasmine agreed. "I really don't want to go back to school."

"Let's go swimming!" Rapunzel said after they had been riding around on the boat for a couple hours.

Garrett found a safe place to swim, then lowered the anchor. Rapunzel slipped off the sundress she had been wearing over her bikini, then dove into the water. Flynn jumped in after her. Esmeralda dove off the front of the boat and swam over to them. Aladdin got in after her, and Jasmine started walking to the back of the boat towards the ladder.

"Phoebus, can you help me put some sunscreen on my back," Mulan asked, holding out the bottle.

"I'll do it," Jasmine offered, taking the bottle from Mulan.

Phoebus shrugged and got into the water. Jasmine sat down behind Mulan and started applying the sunscreen. She didn't feel comfortable with watching Phoebus run his hands over a girl that wasn't Esmeralda. And Jasmine knew Esmeralda would have gotten angry if she saw it.

"Are you guys going swimming?" Mulan asked Kayley and Garrett.

Garrett shook his head. "Nah. I gotta stay with the boat."

"Yeah, I don't really like swimming," Kayley said.

Mulan nodded and dove into the water. Jasmine climbed down the ladder and slowly lowered herself into the water. Aladdin swam over to her and scooped her up in his arms.

"I know you can't swim," Aladdin whispered.

Jasmine shook her head. "How do you know that?"

"Esmeralda just told me," Aladdin replied. "Why are you in the water if you can't swim?"

"I like being in the water, even though it kinda scares me," Jasmine said.

Aladdin held her close to him and gripped the ladder to keep them afloat. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna let you go."

Jasmine smiled at him. "I know you won't."


	52. Chapter 52

**Thursday Afternoon... **

Meg woke up with a shiver. She curled up into a ball and realized she was only wearing her bra and panties. It was then that she noticed the arm draped over her. _Just how far did Thomas and I go last night? Wait. Why don't I remember what happened last night?_ Meg slowly opened her eyes and was greeted with a headache. She groaned and rolled over. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw that she wasn't in bed with Thomas, but with Hercules. She threw his arm off her and jumped out of the bed, no longer aware that she was in her underwear. Nausea washed over her and she bent over the bed to steady herself. Meg looked around the room; no one else was there. She hit Hercules with a pillow to wake him up. He rolled over onto his back and groaned. When he saw Meg, he smiled.

"Good morning, babe," Hercules said.

Meg sneered at him. "What happened last night?"

"You don't remember?"

"No," Meg admitted. "The last thing I remember is making out with Thomas in the club. How did I end up in bed with _you_?"

Hercules stretched out and put his hands behind his head. "I don't know what got into you. You came up to me last night after we got back to the house and told me that I deserved to be with someone better than Helga. You were practically all over me."

"I was..." Meg shook her head. "Did we sleep together?"

"No."

Meg felt an overwhelming sense of relief. "Thank God."

"You wanted to, though," Hercules said.

"_What?_"

"Helga didn't come back to the house last night, and you came up here with me. You stripped down and got into bed with me. We made out a little bit," Hercules said. "But, I think you were drunk and I didn't want to take advantage of you."

"How could you let that happen? You know I'm with Thomas and you have Helga. And you know how I feel about you," Meg said.

"Well, I didn't know you had been drinking at first. I thought you knew what you were doing. I wanted it to happen, so I didn't stop it," Hercules said. "It wasn't until we started making out that I realized you were drunk. I could taste the alcohol in your kiss."

Meg groaned in frustration. "Stop saying I was drunk. I don't drink, there's no way I was-" She stopped short.

_Hades. _Hades had been giving Meg drinks all night. Meg swore under her breath and started to walk out of the room.

"Meg, wait!" Hercules called out.

Meg spun around. "What?"

"You're not dressed."

Meg quickly put her clothes on and stormed out of the bedroom. She went into Hades' room and burst in without knocking. Hades and Gothel were still sleeping and didn't notice she had come in. She slapped Hades in the back of the head and he jolted awake.

"What the hell?" he cried out.

"Did you spike my drinks last night?" Meg demanded.

Hades laughed. "Yeah. Why? What's the matter, Nutmeg, not feeling well this morning?"

"I just woke up in bed with Hercules because of you!" Meg snapped.

"Not my problem." Hades rolled back over and put his arm around Gothel. Within a few seconds, he was back asleep.

Meg let out a frustrated growl.

Charlotte's door was open, so Ariel just walked in. Charlotte was lying on her bed, flipping through a magazine. Robert was sitting on his bed, talking to Giselle. Ariel thought it was weird to see Giselle with Robert, although she had noticed them dancing together a lot the night before. She wondered what happened to Edward and Nancy.

"How are you doing, Lottie?" Ariel asked, sitting down on her bed.

Charlotte closed her magazine and set it on the bed. "I'm fine. Nothing happened between Rolfe and Pocahontas."

Ariel nodded, but before she could say anything, Nancy stormed into the bedroom, with Edward right behind her.

"How did we know we'd find you two together?" Nancy said.

"What's wrong?" Giselle asked, looking very confused.

Nancy gave Giselle a dirty look. "What's wrong is that the two of you were getting awfully friendly with each other last night."

"Nancy, we were just dancing," Robert said.

"Then why are you in bed together?" Edward asked, meekly.

"We're not in bed together," Robert said. "We're sitting _on _the bed and we're only talking."

Nancy crossed her arms over her chest. "What's going on between you two?"

Giselle jumped off the bed. "Nothing. We were just talking."

Giselle took Edward's hand and led him out if the room. Nancy glared at Robert and walked out of the room.

"Nancy, wait!" Robert ran after her.

Charlotte sighed. "What is it about Florida that makes girls go after men that aren't theirs?"

"Why are you _defending _him?" Aurora asked.

"He didn't do anything wrong." Belle picked up her hairbrush and ran it through her hair.

"Belle, come on, you can't lie to me. I was there, I saw everything," Aurora said.

"He didn't mean to and he didn't hurt me. Please drop it," Belle said.

"Sure, he didn't hurt you this time. But what happens when he gets really angry and actually hits you?" Aurora asked. "You need to leave him now before this goes too far and he really hurts you."

"That's not going to happen," Belle stated. "Adam isn't like that. I know he needs to work on his temper, but he would never actually hurt anyone. Especially me."

"How do you know that?" Aurora demanded. "Everyone has the potential to just snap."

"I know."

"Then why are you knowingly putting yourself into a potentially dangerous situation?" Aurora asked.

"Adam also has the potential to change before that happens," Belle said.

"People don't change, Belle," Aurora said. "And you can't force him to. This is who he is."

Belle narrowed her eyes at Aurora. "I'm not forcing him to do anything, he _wants _to change. But, it's hard and it's not going to happen over night."

"It's not going to happen at all, Belle. You need to wake up! It's dangerous for you to be with Adam," Aurora said.

Belle collapsed on her bed and hugged the pillow. "I know!"

Aurora jumped back in surprise. "You know? Then why are you arguing with me?"

"Because I love him. There's a whole other side to him that you don't get to see," Belle said.

Aurora sat down next to Belle. "I know there is, Belle. I've seen the way is with you. It's obvious that he loves you. But, it's just too dangerous for you to be with him."

"I don't know what to do, Aurora. I'm so scared."

When Meg walked into the room, the first thing she saw was Thomas sitting on their bed with his face in his hands. John slammed the door behind her and she quickly turned around. John was scowling at her. Pocahontas was sitting on the bed, with a blank expression.

"What's going on?" Meg asked.

"I should be asking you that," John said. "What happened last night?"

"Nothing!' Meg hastily responded. "Look, Hades spiked my drinks last night and I didn't know what I was doing."

"I heard you tell Hercules you wanted to be with him," Thomas said, quietly.

"I was drunk, I didn't mean that," Meg said. "Baby, you know I don't want to be Hercules."

"I thought I did. But you seemed pretty into him last night," Thomas said. "You ditched me as soon as we got back to the house to hang out with him."

"I wasn't in my right mind. If I had been there's no way I would have chosen him over you," Meg said.

"Did you kiss him?" Pocahontas asked.

"Did you sleep with him?" John asked, before Meg could answer Pocahontas.

"Hercules said we didn't sleep together, but we made out," Meg admitted.

John took an angry step forward. "You cheated on my brother?"

"No! I mean, I don't know. I didn't _want _to," Meg said. She could feel the tears building up behind her eyes.

"Do you still have feelings for Hercules?" Thomas asked.

Meg sank to her knees in front of Thomas. "No! Not at all."

Thomas sighed. "I don't know what to believe, Meg. I've seen the way you act around him and hear how you talk to, and about him. And that always suggested that you really dislike him. But, then you tell him you want to be with him and end up sleeping in his bed."

"Thomas, no! I-"

"I can't do this." Thomas stood up. "We're done, Meg."

Thomas walked out of the room. Meg started to go after him, but John grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Stay away from my brother."


	53. Chapter 53

**Thursday Night...**

"Esmeralda, can I talk to you," Rapunzel asked. 

"Sure, come in."

Rapunzel walked into Esmeralda's room and closed the door behind her. She sat down on the bed and started fidgeting with her hair.

"What's going on?" Esmeralda asked.

"I'm ready," Rapunzel said, quietly. "I think tonight's the night."

Esmeralda was confused at first, but then caught on.

"I don't know what to do, though," Rapunzel continued. "I feel weird doing it with everyone else in the house."

Esmeralda smiled at Rapunzel. "Leave them to me. I'll meet you in your room in a few minutes."

The girls walked out of the bedroom and Rapunzel went upstairs. Esmeralda found Phoebus playing video games in the living room with Flynn and Aladdin. Esmeralda knelt behind the couch and put her arms around Phoebus' neck.

"Hey, babe," Phoebus greeted, distractedly.

"Ya know, I was thinking that since tonight is our last night here maybe we could have a bonfire," Esmeralda said. "It'd be a nice way for all of us to have one more chance to do something together before returning to the real world."

"That's a great idea," Phoebus said.

The boys shut off their game and went outside to get the fire going. Esmeralda told Mulan, Kayley, Aladdin, Jasmine and Flynn that they were going to have a bonfire. Everyone went outside and sat around the fire.

"Where's Rapunzel?" Flynn asked.

"I'm not sure," Esmeralda said. "I'll go check on her."

Esmeralda hurried back inside and went into Rapunzel's room. Rapunzel was pacing back and forth.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Esmeralda asked.

"Yes."

"All right. Put them chemise on. I'll be right back," Esmeralda said.

Esmeralda went downstairs and grabbed every candle she could find and a pack of matches. When she returned to Rapunzel's room, Rapunzel was standing in front of the full-length mirror, staring awkwardly at her reflection.

"You look great," Esmeralda said, as she set up the candles around the room.

"I feel so...exposed."

"Honey, you're a lot more covered up now than when you were in your bikini earlier today," Esmeralda said.

"I know. But, that was different. I wasn't trying to seduce Flynn then," Rapunzel said.

"Try to relax. Flynn is going to be floored when he sees you."

Rapunzel smiled. "You think?"

"Definitely."

Rapunzel's smile quickly faded. "I've never had sex before. What if I'm not any good?"

Esmeralda put her hands on Rapunzel's shoulders. "Don't worry about that. Flynn knows this is your first time, so he isn't going to put any pressure on you. Just do what feels natural and feels good."

Rapunzel nodded, still looking at her reflection.

"Where's your makeup?" Esmeralda asked.

"On the dresser," Rapunzel replied, pointing in the direction of the dresser.

Esmeralda grabbed her makeup bag and a comb. She gently teased Rapunzel's hair, then applied some eyeliner and eyeshadow over her eyes. When Esmeralda was finished Rapunzel looked sexy, but still really pretty. Esmeralda couldn't help being proud.

"Everyone's outside at the bonfire," Esmeralda said. "I'll send Flynn up without tipping anyone off."

"Thank you, Esmeralda."

Esmeralda nodded and left, closing the door behind her. She rejoined her friends, and knelt down next to Flynn.

"Um, Flynn? Rapunzel isn't feeling very well and was asking to see you," Esmeralda said.

Rapunzel took the small box of condoms out of Flynn's bag and opened it. She set one on the nightstand and put the rest back in his bag. She then sat down on the bed.

"Rapunzel?" Flynn stopped when he saw Rapunzel. "Wow...You look amazing."

Rapunzel blushed. "Thank you."

Rapunzel stood up and walked over to Flynn and softly kissed him. She gripped the bottom of his shirt and started to pull it off. Flynn broke the kiss and stopped her.

"Rapunzel, wait," he whispered.

Rapunzel stepped back; all of her confidence was suddenly gone. _Has he changed his mind? _

"What's wrong?" Rapunzel asked.

"There's something I need to tell you first," Flynn said.

Rapunzel sat back down on the bed. "What is it?"

Flynn sat down next to Rapunzel and pulled her onto his lap so she was straddling him. "Rapunzel, I love you."

Rapunzel smiled. "You do? You're not just saying that because we're about to...?"

Flynn shook his head. "I mean it. And I wanted you to know that before you ended up regretting giving yourself to me."

Rapunzel ran her fingers through Flynn's hair. "I love you, too, Flynn."

Flynn kissed Rapunzel and she slipped off his shirt. He picked her up and gently lied her down on the bed.

Esmeralda rested her head on Phoebus' shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her. She had to admit that she was jealous of Rapunzel. She wished she was having a night like hers with Phoebus. She wondered how long Phoebus wanted to wait until they slept together. Again.

"Esmeralda, I need to talk to you for a minute," Phoebus said. He stood up and held his hand out for her.

Esmeralda took his hand and he led her down to the pier. The moon shone brightly above them and Esmeralda stared at its reflection in the water. She couldn't help feeling sappy and romantic.

"I'm sorry we haven't had much alone time this week," Phoebus said.

"It's all right."

"I was really hoping this was going to be a romantic getaway for us," Phoebus said.

Esmeralda smiled. "Well, this could be a romantic moment."

Phoebus pulled her into his arms and she rested her head on his chest. He put his hand on the back of her head and held her close. Esmeralda closed her eyes, taking in the smell of his cologne. Phoebus had changed everything for her. He made her believe in love. She loved him more than she ever thought she'd love anyone. She wanted to sleep with Phoebus, but it wasn't the same feeling she'd had with Naveen or any other boy she had been with. This time she'd actually be making love; it would mean something to her. Her love for Phoebus consumed her and it was almost overwhelming. Esmeralda stood up on her tip toes and kissed Phoebus. He gently stroked her cheek with his thumb as he kissed her back. Esmeralda was so happy she thought she was going to cry. She was no longer envious of what Rapunzel was doing. Right now, Esmeralda would not give up this moment for anything.

"You mean so much to me, Esmeralda," Phoebus said.

"You're my everything, Phoebus."


	54. Chapter 54

**Friday Morning... **

"Hey, pretty girl," Eric said as Ariel walked into the bedroom.

Ariel blushed. "Good morning."

Ariel put her hairbrush and makeup in her suitcase and started packing the rest of her stuff.

"Philip and I are going to play a little game of one-on-one. Do you wanna watch?" Eric asked.

"Yeah." Ariel finished packing, then followed Eric outside to his basketball court.

Philip was warming up and Aurora was sitting on a blanket in the grass, watching him. Ariel walked over to her.

"Mind if I join you?" Ariel asked.

"Of course not." Aurora moved over to make room for Ariel.

Ariel sat down next to her and watched the boys play. Aurora noticed the dreamy look on Ariel's face when she looked at Eric.

"Eric is a great guy," Aurora said.

Ariel turned to look at her. "I know."

Aurora smiled at her. "He really likes you, Ariel. I've never seen him so smitten before."

"Really?"

Aurora nodded. "I'm really glad you came into his life. He deserves to be happy."

"He really is amazing," Ariel said.

Aurora reached over and put her hand over Ariel's. "Don't let the Vanessa thing bother you. They were only together for a month the summer before freshman year and he was the one who ended it. He definitely didn't like her near as much as he likes you."

Belle absentmindedly packed her suitcase. All she could think about was Adam. She loved him and couldn't imagine not being with him. But, she was worried about everything Aurora had said. Belle knew it was possible that Adam could turn into his dad. She shook her head, trying to make that thought go away. Adam would never be that person, but that didn't mean he wouldn't act on impulse if he ever got mad at her. After all, he did almost get into a fight with Hercules the other night. Belle lied down on the bed and started up at the ceiling. She really didn't know what to do. Adam's temper scared her, but losing him scared her even more. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head and she quickly got off the bed and headed down the hall. John's door was standing open. She could see him packing, but he appeared to be alone. She knocked on the door frame.

John looked up. "Um... Hi, Belle."

"Hi. I'm sorry to bother you," Belle said. "But, I need to talk to you."

"It's no bother at all. Come in," John said. "What's on your mind?"

"Adam."

John motioned for her to sit on the bed. "Is everything all right?"

Belle sat down. "I don't know."

John nodded. "I heard about what happened on the beach."

"That's kinda what I'm worried about," Belle admitted. "I know he didn't mean to hurt me or anything, but what if this only the start and it gets worse as we go on?"

"You're afraid he's going to turn into his dad," John stated.

"You know about that?" Belle asked.

John nodded. "I know everything about that kid."

"Well, yes, I am afraid of that," Belle said.

"I don't blame you," John said. "But, you really don't have to worry about that. Adam acts out sometimes, but he's not mean."

"Do you think he'll ever hit me?" Belle asked.

John shook his head. "No way. Everything inside that kid wants to protect you, Belle. He loves you. He actually started taking anger management classes when he started dating you."

"He did?"

"Yes. The other day was a set back, but he _is _gonna get better," John said.

Belle gave John a small smile. "Thank you. I was actually debating whether or not to end things with him."

"Don't give up on him, Belle. He needs you more than you think."

Pocahontas picked up a shell, then threw it back in the water.

"What did you want to talk about?" Thomas asked her.

"Meg."

Thomas frowned. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Yes, there is, Thomas," Pocahontas said. "I think you were too hard on her."

Thomas looked at her like she was crazy. "She _cheated _on me!"

Pocahontas shook her head. "Think about it, Thomas. Does that really sound like Meg?"

"No. But, she does have a history with Hercules. It's not surprising that she would still have feelings for him," Thomas said.

"You know she doesn't, Thomas. Everyone in the school knows how Meg feels about him."

"I know that. But, I can't just ignore what happened, Pocahontas," Thomas said.

"No one's asking you to."

"Then, what are you getting at?" Thomas asked.

"I think you should give her another chance," Pocahontas replied.

"Why?"

"I know what it's like to be caught in a situation that you had no control over," Pocahontas explained. "That just happened with me and Rolfe."

"But, Meg _actually_ made out with her ex-boyfriend," Thomas stated.

"How do you know?" Pocahontas asked. "She's only going off what Hercules said. You know he wants her back, so what if he just made that up to break you two up?"

"I heard her say she wanted to be with him." Thomas shook his head. "No, things are over between us."

Thomas turned and headed back into the house.

"What should I do?" Meg asked Vanessa.

The two of them had decided to go out for breakfast since they hadn't had any alone time during the week.

"I don't know," Vanessa said. "Why don't you just stop fighting it, and get back with Hercules?"

Meg stared at her friend. I don't _want _to be with Hercules."

"You want to be with Thomas." Vanessa took a sip of her water.

"Yes."

"Then you need to fight for him," Vanessa said.

"I have a feeling I'm going to lose that fight," Meg said. "He can't even stand to be near me right now."

Vanessa nodded. "Give him a little space, let him cool down, then get your man back."

"What if I can't get him back?" Meg asked. "What if we're not meant to be together?"

"You won't know until you try," Vanessa stated. "And you have to try, Megara. You can't let Hercules kick you down again. Get up and fight back. Win Thomas back and show Hercules that he has no power over you."


	55. Chapter 55

**Friday Afternoon... **

Rapunzel woke up with Flynn's arm around her and her head on his chest. She lied there feeling his chest move up and down and listening to his soft snoring. She wondered if things were going to be different between them now. She had heard about girls giving up their virginity in high school and then the boy never talks to them again. Rapunzel hoped that wouldn't be the case. But, nonetheless, Rapunzel didn't move in fear that Flynn would wake up and realize he had made a mistake.

Suddenly, Rapunzel's phone started ringing. It was so loud, that it startled her. She quickly reached over to silence it before Flynn woke up, but she was too late. As she was reaching for her phone, Flynn's arm tightened around her.

"Don't answer it," Flynn said.

"I was just trying to-"

Rapunzel was interrupted by Flynn rolling her on top of him and kissing her. There was a knock on the door and Rapunzel quickly jumped up. Flynn groaned and rolled over. Rapunzel was about to open the door when she realized she was still wearing the chemise. She slipped on her robe, then answered the door.

"Good afternoon!" Esmeralda greeted.

"Afternoon?" Rapunzel glanced at the clock on the nightstand; it was one o'clock. "I didn't realize it was that late."

Esmeralda shrugged and let herself in. "How was your night?"

Rapunzel blushed. "It was fun."

Esmeralda smiled at her. "I knew it would be."

"Rapunzel wasn't sick," Flynn muttered, half asleep.

Esmeralda shook her head, ignoring his sleepy comment. "Anyways, I came up here to let you know that Phoebus wants to leave at three o'clock."

"We'll be ready," Rapunzel said.

Esmeralda nodded and closed the door behind her when she left. As she made her way downstairs, she saw the boys were in the living room playing the same video game they had been playing the night before. She wandered outside and found Jasmine sitting on the back porch swing. She had her legs curled up under her, with a glass of strawberry banana V8 Fusion Juice in one hand and she was holding a book open on her lap with the other. She greeted Esmeralda with a smile, then continued reading. Esmeralda decided to leave Jasmine to her book and went back inside. She found Mulan in the kitchen, cleaning out the refrigerator.

"Need any help?" Esmeralda asked.

"I'm actually just about done," Mulan said. "But, thanks anyway."

Esmeralda hesitated for a moment while Mulan continued to clean the refrigerator.

"I really do love Phoebus," Esmeralda said.

"So you've said," Mulan muttered, not looking at Esmeralda.

"Why do you hate me all of a sudden?" Esmeralda asked.

Mulan stood up and faced Esmeralda. "I don't hate you."

"Then why are you acting like this towards me?"

"Phoebus has had his heart broken too many times, Esmeralda," Mulan said. "And, as his best friend, it's my responsibility to look out for him."

"I'm not going to break his heart," Esmeralda stated.

"You've already hurt him twice. You're a heart break waiting to happen," Mulan said.

Esmeralda shook her head. "You're wrong."

Mulan raised an eyebrow. "Am I? Esmeralda, you forgot you slept with him _and _you kissed another guy in front of him. I know you're not sleeping together and it's only a matter of time before you stray."

Mulan started to walk out of the kitchen, but Esmeralda blocked her path.

"I want you to listen to me, and listen to me good," Esmeralda demanded. "I am not the sex-crazed slut everyone makes me out to be. I love Phoebus more than I have ever loved anyone and I would never even _think_ about cheating on him. He's the best thing that has ever happened to me; I'm not going to ruin this. And I know he loves me, too. So, just stop trying to shove a wedge between us."

Mulan smiled and shook her head. "I underestimated you, Esmeralda."

Esmeralda nodded, but didn't say anything.

"I hope you prove me wrong because, you're right, Phoebus _does_ love you," Mulan said.

Mulan walked out of the kitchen and Esmeralda sat down at the table. Someone cleared their throat and Esmeralda turned around to see Phoebus leaning against the door frame.

"I heard that," Phoebus said.

"Heard what?"

"You yelling at Mulan."

"I wasn't... _yelling _at her," Esmeralda said. "I was just trying to get my point across. She thinks it's only a matter of time until I cheat on you."

"Yeah, everyone thinks that," Phoebus said.

Esmeralda sighed in frustration. "Do _you _think that?"

"I consider kissing cheating, Esmeralda, so you already _did_ cheat on me," Phoebus said.

"It wasn't that kind of kiss," Esmeralda said.

"I know, that's why I let it slide... _this _time," Phoebus said.

"I promise it won't happen again."

"I know it won't," Phoebus said.

The alarm on Jasmine's phone went off, signaling there was only a half an hour until it was time to leave. She closed her book and headed inside. Aladdin was hurrying around the bedroom, cramming all of his stuff into his bag.

"I told you to pack last night," Jasmine said.

"I know."

Jasmine picked up a couple of his t-shirts and folded them. Aladdin grabbed the shirts from Jasmine and shoved them into the bag.

Jasmine laughed. "Slow down, baby, we still have a half an hour. And I promise we won't leave without you."

Aladdin sat down on the bed and Jasmine joined him.

"I don't want to go back home," Aladdin said.

"I don't think any of us do. No one wants to go back to school on Monday," Jasmine said.

Aladdin shook his head. "No, I don't want to go back home ever."

"Why is that?" Jasmine asked.

"My dad just called me," Aladdin said. "He got a permanent position in New York and I have to move out there with him at the end of the school year."

"What? No! Aladdin, you can't move!"

"I don't want to, but it isn't up to me. I have to go," Aladdin said, quietly.

_No! No! No! _Jasmine gripped the sheets. She couldn't lose Aladdin...


	56. Chapter 56

**Friday Night... **

"We'll be landing in approximately fifteen minutes. Thank you for flying with us."

Aurora stretched her legs and sighed. She was glad to be getting off the plane soon, but she was sad Spring Break was over.

"Did you have fun?" Philip asked.

Aurora smiled at him. "Of course! I can't wait 'till we go up to No Cal to visit my mom this summer. It's gonna be so much fun!"

"Are we staying the whole summer?" Philip asked.

"We leave early July and get back a week before school starts up, so about two months," Aurora said. "Is that okay?"

Philip nodded. "Absolutely."

Meg shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She had originally been seated next to Thomas, but John made her switch seats with him. She had sat next to Pocahontas and Pocahontas slept the whole time. John and Thomas were across the aisle from Meg and Hercules was sitting in front of them. Meg could not wait to get off the plane. She was going to lock herself in her room and not talk to anyone the rest of the weekend; she was so over people.

Pocahontas stirred in her seat as she woke up. She looked over at Meg. Meg had her head down and she was rubbing her temples.

"I tried talking to Thomas for you," Pocahontas said.

Meg looked up at her. "You did?"

Pocahontas nodded. "It didn't go very well, though."

Meg straightened up. "What did he say?"

"He's convinced you still have feelings for Hercules," Pocahontas replied.

"That's not true!" Meg cried.

Pocahontas put her hand on Meg's arm. "I know it isn't. And I think a part of Thomas knows that, too. But, he's really hung up on hearing you tell Hercules that you wanted to be with him."

Meg groaned. "I wish I could remember what happened that night."

"I don't think that would matter at this point," Pocahontas said. "John is gonna hold onto this and just keep fueling it until Thomas is completely over you."

"Why?"

"He's very protective of Thomas," Pocahontas replied.

"I never wanted to hurt Thomas," Meg said. "He's the most amazing person I know. He's so sweet and caring."

Pocahontas nodded. "That he is. It'd be really easy for someone to take advantage of him."

"No, Pocahontas, that was never my intention," Meg said.

"I know it wasn't. I'm on your side."

"Really?"

"Yes. I'm going to talk to John this weekend and see if I can get him to calm down," Pocahontas said. "I think you'd have a much better chance of getting Thomas back if John wasn't involved."

"Oh, thank you, Pocahontas!" Meg said. "I'd do anything to get Thomas back."

"Do you love him?"

The question took Meg by surprised. "I don't know. I mean, the feelings I have for Thomas are stronger than anything I've ever felt before." Meg bit her bottom lip. "I think I do love him."

"Did you hear that, John?" Pocahontas asked, leaning over Meg.

"Yeah, I heard," John said. "Girls will say anything to get out of being in trouble."

Meg gave John a dirty look, but before she could tell John exactly what was on her mind, Pocahontas replied.

"You're unbelievable, John," Pocahontas said.

John twisted in his seat so he was facing the girls. "You know it's true, Pocahontas."

"I'm not just saying that!" Meg said.

John leaned over his armrest. "I don't care what you say, Meg. You will never be with my brother again."

"That's not up to you!" Meg snapped. "This is between me and Thomas."

When the plane landed, everyone gathered their stuff and made their way off the plane. Pocahontas and John got out ahead of Meg and Thomas. As Thomas was about to step into the aisle, Meg cut him off. Thomas gave her a look, but she couldn't tell if he was angry or sad.

"We need to talk," Meg said.

"No we don't," Thomas said.

"Thomas, please don't listen to your brother," Meg pleaded.

"Why not? He's the only one who cares about me."

Thomas pushed passed Meg and got off the plane. Meg stared after him, but didn't move. Vanessa grabbed her arm and pulled her away.

Adam took Belle's hand as they walked towards the exit of the airport. They were supposed to meet Aurora and Philip outside and walk with them to Philip's car. But, when they stepped outside, Belle saw her dad instead. A lump formed in her throat and she tightened her grip on Adam's hand.

"Get your hands off my daughter!" Maurice demanded.

Adam let go of Belle's hand. He started to say something, but Belle interrupted.

"Papa, what are you doing here?" Belle asked.

"Aurora called me," Maurice replied. "Come on, Belle, we're leaving."

"Papa, wait-"

"Now, Belle!"

Belle quickly kissed Adam's cheek, then got into the car.

"I told you were not allowed to see that boy," Maurice said. "So, what do you do? You go off to another state with him! And then I get a call from Aurora and she tells me that he hit you!"

"He didn't hit me," Belle said.

Maurice ignored her. "I told he was bad news, Belle. Now I find out he's also dangerous. You are _never _to see him again. I have both Aurora and Philip looking out for you. If they see you with him, they will tell me."

"You're having them spy on me?" Belle cried.

"We're trying to protect you," Maurice said.

"You don't know anything about Adam," Belle said.

"I know enough."

"You know rumors."

"You're only seventeen, so you _will _do as I say and that's final," Maurice said.

Meg slumped down in the backseat of Vanessa's car. "John is poisoning him."

Meg saw Vanessa roll her eyes in the rear view mirror. "No he's not. Thomas still isn't over the initial hurt and anger from what happened."

"Well, John definitely isn't helping," Meg mumbled.

"This isn't John's fault," Vanessa said. "You're the one who screwed up."

"I didn't do anything!" Meg snapped.

"Look, Meg, you _did _tell Hercules you wanted to be with him. And you took off your clothes and made out with him," Gaston said. "You may not have been in your right mind at the time, but you still did it."

Meg narrowed her eyes at Gaston, but didn't say anything. She knew he was right.

"Maybe you should just cut your ties with Thomas and get back together with Hercules," Gaston said.

"Don't bother," Vanessa muttered. "I already tried that."

"I can't believe you two!" Meg cried. "I don't want to be with Hercules, I want to be with Thomas."

"Sorry, Megara, but Hercules is my best friend and I have to take his side," Gaston said.

"Well, tell Hercules that I will never be with him again," Meg said. "I will do whatever it takes to get Thomas back. He's the only one I want."


	57. Chapter 57

"Are you nervous?" Phoebus asked Jasmine when he picked her up.

"I don't know. I kinda feel like we're betraying her," Jasmine admitted.

"We're helping her," Phoebus said.

"I know we are. We're just sneaking around behind her back to do it." Jasmine sighed. "I'm just afraid of how she's going to react to all of this."

"She's gonna be angry, but she _will _get over it," Phoebus said.

Phoebus pulled into Esmeralda's driveway and Jasmine could feel butterflies take over her stomach. She took a deep breath and got out of the car before she could change her mind. Phoebus put his hand on Jasmine's back and guided her up to the door. He must have known she was having second thoughts. Phoebus rang the doorbell and Jasmine secretly hoped no one would be home. Unfortunately, Clopin answered the door.

"Oh, hey, guys," Clopin greeted. "Esmeralda's at work right now."

"We know," Phoebus said. "We came to talk to your parents...about Esmeralda."

Clopin nodded in understanding and let them in. "I'll go get them. Have a seat in the living room."

The living room wasn't very big. The only furniture in the he room was a couch that could seat about three people comfortably, an armchair, a coffee table and a TV on a small entertainment stand. Jasmine sat down on the chair and Phoebus joined her, straddling the arm of the chair. Clopin returned shortly with his parents.

"Oh! Jasmine, Phoebus, it's so nice to see you two again," Esmeralda's mom said.

"Hello," Jasmine greeted meekly.

Esmeralda's parents sat down on the couch and Clopin took a seat next to his mom.

"What brings you two here?" Esmeralda dad asked.

"We wanna talk to you about Esmeralda," Phoebus said.

"Is something wrong?" Esmeralda's mom asked.

Jasmine nodded. "We think she's hurting herself."

Esmeralda's mom's eyes grew wide with fear. "H-how so?"

"A few weeks ago Esmeralda met with her modeling agent and Maleficent told her she's too fat. So, Esmeralda has started throwing up after she eats," Phoebus said, gently.

"Esmeralda is...bu-bulimic?" Esmeralda's mom buried her face in her hands. Clopin and his dad put their arms around her.

"How long have you known?" Esmeralda's dad asked.

"Not long," Jasmine said. "All she wanted to do was lose fifteen pounds, so she started a work out program with Phoebus' friend, Mulan. We thought that had put a stop to it. But, then we heard her throwing up this past week while we were at the cabin and we knew we had to tell you."

"I don't know what to do," Esmeralda's mom sobbed. "I can't believe we didn't see this."

Seeing Esmeralda's mom cry like that, made tears form in Jasmine's eyes. Phoebus laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"None of us saw it," Phoebus said. "But, now that we all know, we have to help her."

Esmeralda's dad nodded. "Thank you for telling us."

"Our poor little girl," Esmeralda's mom said. "She must really be hurting and feeling alone."

That did it. Jasmine let the tears fall down her cheeks. She lowered her head so Esmeralda's mom wouldn't see her crying. She felt Phoebus start stroking her hair.

"I think we need to discuss this as a family," Esmeralda's dad said.

"Of course." Phoebus stood up and Jasmine followed him to the door.

Jasmine gave Esmeralda's mom a hug and then left with Phoebus.

_XXX_

"How could she do this to me?" Thomas demanded.

"Honestly, I had my doubts about her," Rapunzel admitted as she paid for their smoothies.

"You did?" Thomas sounded surprised.

Rapunzel shrugged. "Yeah, she isn't the nicest person I've ever met. I mean, she's nothing like Helga, but-"

"Meg was always so sweet to me," Thomas said.

"It was probably an act. I mean, think about it, Thomas. Look who she hangs out with: Gaston, Vanessa and _Hades_." Rapunzel took a sip of her smoothie.

"Maybe you're right. God! I'm such an idiot. I can't believe I let her fool me like that," Thomas said.

"You're not an idiot," Rapunzel said. "You just need to be more careful."

Rapunzel felt bad for Thomas, of course, but she couldn't stop thinking about her night with Flynn. She wanted to talk to somebody about it, but she knew she couldn't talk to Thomas. It was then that they walked passed the popular clothing store, De Vil's. Rapunzel noticed Esmeralda leaning over the counter, looking bored.

"Hey, Thomas, I have to go talk to Esmeralda. I'll catch up with you in a little bit." Rapunzel didn't wait for Thomas to respond before going into the store.

There were a few customers wandering around. Gothel was organizing the clothes and Vanessa was in the back by the fitting rooms.

"Welcome to De Vil's," Esmeralda greeted as Rapunzel walked up to the counter.

"Hey, Esmeralda!"

"Hi, Rapunzel. What's up?" Esmeralda asked.

"I came to talk to you," Rapunzel replied.

"About what?"

"Flynn. I'm so worried that things between us are going to be different now," Rapunzel said.

Esmeralda nodded. "Has he called you since we've been back?"

"No, but he's at work right now and has been since this morning," Rapunzel said.

"I'd say wait 'till Monday and see how he treats you at school," Esmeralda said.

Rapunzel absent-mindedly sipped her smoothie.

"How did it go?" Esmeralda asked.

It took Rapunzel a second to figure out what Esmeralda meant. "Oh. Um, I enjoyed it and he seemed to, as well."

Esmeralda raised an eyebrow. "That's it? That's all you have to say about the night you lost your virginity?"

"I'm too worried to think about anything else," Rapunzel said.

A customer came up to the counter and Rapunzel stepped aside. After she checked the customer out, Esmeralda turned back towards Rapunzel.

"Don't be worried, Rapunzel. Everyone can tell Flynn is crazy about you," Esmeralda said. "It may be a little awkward between you two at first, but that will pass. Don't read too much into it, okay?"

Rapunzel nodded. "Thank you, Esmeralda."

"And when you finally let yourself get excited about that night and you need someone to gush to, feel free to call me," Esmeralda said, winking at Rapunzel.

Rapunzel blushed. "I will."

_XXX_

"What has gotten into you, Belle?" Maurice demanded. "This behavior isn't like you."

Belle was sitting on her bed while her dad paced back and forth.

"Nothing has gotten into me," Belle said.

"Then why are you hanging out with trash and then defending him when he hits you?" Maurice asked.

"He didn't hit me," Belle said, though she knew it was falling on deaf ears.

"Are you afraid of him?" Maurice asked. "Is that why you won't stop hanging around him?"

"No!" Belle cried. "I have no reason to be afraid of Adam. He would never intentionally hurt me."

Maurice shook his head, obviously not listening to Belle. "I have to put an end to this. I'm going to call that boy's father."

"Papa, no! You can't!"

Maurice ignored Belle and walked out of the room. Fear gripped Belle's heart. What would Adam's dad do to him he found out what happened? She needed to find a way to warn him. Her dad already took her phone, so she turned on her computer. She drummed her fingers impatiently on her desk while she waited for her computer to load. Her dad had turned off their wireless connection, but Belle was able to get on using their neighbor's. She quickly sent an email to Adam's phone telling him what was going on and warning him to get out of the house. She wanted to wait until he responded before logging off, but she couldn't risk her dad catching her. She got off the computer and sat down on her bed. A few minutes later, her father came up.

"I talked to Adam's father," Maurice said. "He said he's going to take care of this. You're not gonna have to worry about him anymore."

Belle started crying. "Papa, you don't understand! You have no idea what you just did."

"I'm protecting you, Belle. I know you're upset now, but you'll understand when this blows over," Maurice said.

With that Maurice left the room, closing the door behind him. Belle hugged her knees to her chest and pressed the heel of her palm against her forehead. Belle was so scared for Adam; she didn't know what to do. But, she knew she was on her own; no one would help her. For the first time in her life Belle was more scared than she had ever been and more alone.


	58. Chapter 58

"I'm so glad we got to do this," Ariel said as she and her sisters walked around Pleasure Island. "I can't remember the last time we all got to hang out."

Alana nodded. "It's nice that all of our Spring Breaks are at the same time."

Ariel had six older sisters and they were all a year apart in age. Attina was twenty-three and the oldest. After their mother died, Attina took on the motherly role which made her mature quicker than her other sisters and she grew to be quite bossy. Right now she was attending Harvard and studying to be a lawyer.

Next there was Alana who was twenty-two. She was the beauty queen of the family; she had been in many pageants in high school. Now she was a senior at Andalasia University studying business and also taking cosmetology classes. She wanted to own her own cosmetic and beauty store one day.

Adella, twenty-one, was a little bit wilder than the other girls. She liked to party on the weekends and stay out all night. She was a junior at a culinary school in New York, but was easily distracted by the boys in her school.

Aquata, twenty, was the middle child. She was a bit of a klutz, but good-natured. She was currently in her second year at Andalasia County Community College, working on getting her Associate's Degree. She wanted to study early childhood education and become a first grade teacher.

Arista, nineteen, was adventurous like Ariel. She was in her first year at Andalasia County Community College, also working on getting her Associate's Degree. However, after her two years at ACCC she wanted to get a job as a flight attendant so she could travel all over.

Andrina, eighteen, was still in high school but was graduating this year. She wanted to skip college and go right into acting, but their father told her she had to at least get her Associate's Degree so she'd have something to fall back on.

Ariel envied her sisters. They all knew what they wanted from life and Ariel didn't. She loved singing, but wasn't sure she could actually make a career out of that. Aquata had suggested that she become a music teacher, but Ariel wasn't sure she'd like being stuck in a classroom the rest of her life. She, like Arista, wanted a job where she could travel.

"Let's get something to eat," Adella suggested. "I wonder if that cutie still works at Pizza Planet."

"Really, Arista?" Aquata cried out as they were walking towards Pizza Planet.

The sisters all stopped and looked at Aquata.

"What's wrong?" Arista asked.

"That's _my _belt!" Aquata exclaimed.

The other sisters rolled their eyes and got in line to order their food. Arista was always borrowing Aquata's stuff without asking. The only sibling rivalry among the sisters was between Aquata and Arista.

"Ariel, hey!"

Ariel turned around to see Eric standing in line behind her.

"Hi!" Ariel gave Eric a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Ariel, who's this?" Attina asked.

"This is my boyfriend, Eric," Ariel said. "Eric, these are my sisters Arista, Aquata, Adella, Alana, Attina, and you know Andrina."

Eric smiled at them. "It's nice to meet all of you."

"Ariel, has dad met this boy?" Attina asked.

"Um, no, not really," Ariel replied.

Attina slowly shook her head. "Don't you think he should?"

"Um-" Ariel didn't get a chance to answer before Attina interrupted her.

"Eric, come over for dinner tomorrow night," Attina said. It was more of a demand than an invitation.

Eric nodded. "All right, I'll be there."

Ariel felt her heart sink. She was not ready for her dad to meet her boyfriend.

_XXX_

Aurora sighed. "This is great."

"It's even better in the sun," Philip said. "You're gonna be stuck inside everyday from now on; you should get some sun."

Aurora was having trouble accepting that school was starting up again tomorrow, so she convinced Philip to go to the beach with her.

Aurora glanced at Philip from under her umbrella. "That's not the point, Philip. This is our last chance to relax before we get crammed with all kinds of homework."

Philip nodded as he stretched out on the blanket. "Yeah, I'm not looking forward to returning to the real world."

"Plus, this is our first actual alone time since Spring Break started," Aurora said.

Philip reached over and took Aurora's hand. "Yeah, I've missed this."

This wasn't working. Aurora thought that going to the beach with Philip would distract her from thinking about Belle, but it wasn't. She hadn't heard from her since they got back two days ago. Aurora hoped Belle wasn't mad at her, though she knew that Belle most likely was. Part of Aurora understood that, but a bigger part didn't. Why couldn't Belle see that Aurora was just trying to protect her?

"I'd say, 'penny for your thoughts', but I'm pretty sure I know who you're thinking about," Philip said.

"Did I do the right thing?" Aurora asked.

"Of course you did," Philip said, sitting up. "I know this is hard for both of you, but it was for the best."

Aurora pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. "What if Belle never talks to me again?"

"That won't happen," Philip assured her. "I mean, she may not want to talk to you for a while. But, in the end she's going to understand why you did this and she's going to forgive you."

"How do you know?" Aurora asked. "What if this it? What Belle and I will never be friends again?"

Philip moved closer to her and put his arm around her. "You two will work this out. You've been friends too long for something like this to end it all."

"I really hope you're right," Aurora said.

_XXX_

Pocahontas sat down in John's yard while she waited for him to come outside. Meeko walked over to her and pulled him onto her lap. He looked up at her and she stroked him under his chin.

"Sorry about that," John said as he walked over to Pocahontas.

Pocahontas set Meeko back on the ground and stood up. "It's okay."

John led Pocahontas to the patio table. "Thomas has been pretty upset today."

Pocahontas ran her hand through her hair. "Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about."

John gave Pocahontas a wary look. "What do you mean?"

"John, Meg's right; this is between her and Thomas. You shouldn't be butting in," Pocahontas said.

"Butting in? I'm not butting in. That slut hurt my brother," John said. "I'm just trying to be there for him and look out for him."

"I understand that, baby," Pocahontas said. "But, I don't think you should be trying to influence what he does. Let him make his own choices."

"He chose to date Meg and look what happened," John said. "He got his heart broken."

"Everyone gets their heart broken," Pocahontas retorted. "You can't protect him from that."

"I know that," John said. "But I _can _protect him from Meg."

"John, I really think Meg genuinely cares about, and _loves_, Thomas. What if Thomas feels the same way about her? Don't you think you'd be hurting him by keeping him away from her?" Pocahontas asked.

"Whose side are you on?" John demanded.

"That's just it, John! There shouldn't be _sides; _we shouldn't be fighting this for them. They need to work this out for themselves," Pocahontas said.

John slowly shook his head. "I can't believe you're turning your back on Thomas for that tramp."

Pocahontas frowned. "John, it's not like that."

"That's what it sounds like," John said. "I think you should leave."

"What? No! John, don't be like this," Pocahontas said. "This has nothing to do with us and it shouldn't come between us."

"Thomas is my brother and he comes first, Pocahontas." John stood up and went back inside.

Pocahontas put Meeko back in the shed and left.


	59. Chapter 59

Esmeralda stared blankly into her locker, trying to remember what she had first period. _Right. Science-with Phoebus. _Esmeralda quietly groaned to herself as she pulled her science book out of her locker. She did _not_ want to see Phoebus today. Or Jasmine. Her parents and Clopin confronted her about her bulimia after work on Saturday and told her Jasmine and Phoebus had been the ones to tell them. Esmeralda had expected Clopin to eventually tell her parents, but she was surprised to find out it had been her best friend and boyfriend who betrayed her.

"Good morning," Phoebus greeted as he approached Esmeralda's locker. He was acting like nothing had happened and that bothered Esmeralda.

Esmeralda slammed her locker shut. "I do _not _want to talk to you." She turned to walk in the other direction, but Jasmine was suddenly standing on the other side of her. "_You _either."

"How did it go?" Jasmine asked quietly.

Esmeralda narrowed her eyes at Jasmine. "What? So, _now _you care about me all of a sudden?"

"We did this _because _we care about you," Phoebus said.

Esmeralda turned to look at him. "Yeah right."

"Essie, it's true," Jasmine said.

Esmeralda shot Jasmine a dirty look. "No. Only my best friend can call me that."

Jasmine looked like she had just been slapped. Her eyes teared up a little and she looked down.

"What did your parents say?" Phoebus asked.

"I have 'till the end of the school year to 'straighten up'," Esmeralda said, making air quotes around the words "straighten up". "If I don't, they're going to send me to rehab up in San Francisco."

"You're going away?" Jasmine asked, meekly.

Esmeralda scowled at Jasmine. "That's what you wanted, isn't it? That's why you told my parents; so they'd send me away to get 'help'."

"No!" Jasmine said quickly. "We didn't know they were gonna send you away."

"Well, what did you _think _they were going to do?" Esmeralda demanded. "You all say you're trying to _help _me, but none of you are. You just keep pushing off on someone else saying _they're_ the ones who are going to help me."

"That's not true," Phoebus said.

"Isn't it? You and Jasmine pushed me off on my parents and now they're sending me away to someone else. None of you want to actually _do _anything to help me, so why don't you just let it go and leave me alone!" Esmeralda slammed her fist against her locker, then stormed off.

Esmeralda went into the nearest girls' bathroom. She put her hands on the sink and looked into the mirror. She tried to figure out why everyone was ganging up on her. No answer came to her. She sank down to her knees and rested her forehead against the back of her hands. She gripped the edge of the sink tightly as she started to cry.

"Esmeralda?"

Esmeralda's head shot up and she looked over to see Phoebus standing in the doorway.

"What are you doing?" Esmeralda hissed. "You can't come in here."

Phoebus ignored her comment. "Are you alone?"

Esmeralda hadn't even bothered to see if anyone else had been in the bathroom before she started crying. She turned around and looked at the stalls, relieved to see that no one else was in there. She nodded and Phoebus walked in.

"Let me walk you to class," Phoebus said, holding out his hand.

Esmeralda pushed his hand away and stood up. "I'm not going to class."

"Esmeralda, you can't skip class," Phoebus said. "You're gonna get in trouble."

Esmeralda had already been walking towards the door, but she stopped and faced Phoebus. "Why don't you just go tell my parents if you're so worried about me?"

Esmeralda swung open the door, then headed right out of the school.

_XXX_

Meg clutched her tray as she walked through the cafeteria. She glanced over at Thomas' table, longing to sit with him like she used to. She kept walking towards Vanessa's usual table, but stopped when she saw Hercules and Helga sitting with her. Hercules spotted her and smiled at her. Meg rolled her eyes and went outside. She found an empty table and sat down. She ate her cheeseburger, then picked up one of her fries. As she was dipping it in the ketchup she realized she had a pretty clear shot of Thomas from where she was sitting. John and Pocahontas were engaged in some sort of heated discussion, but Thomas didn't seem to notice. He had his head lowered and was picking at the small scoop of mashed potatoes on his plate. He looked sad and that made a lump form in Meg's throat.

"If you're not careful, you're gonna drown that fry," Jim said, sitting down across from Meg.

Meg looked down and realized she was still dipping the fry in the ketchup. She sighed and dropped the fry back on her plate.

"Bad day?" Jim asked. "You were pretty put of it in Science, too."

"Bad couple of days," Meg said.

"You wanna talk about it?" Jim asked, popping a fry into his mouth.

"Not really."

Jim nodded. "Fair enough."

With Jim sitting across from her, Meg could no longer see Thomas. She was slightly grateful for that.

"Thomas and I broke up," Meg muttered. That was the first time she said it out loud.

Jim looked up at her like he had no idea what she was talking about. It occurred to Meg that Jim probably didn't even know she had been dating Thomas. How would he?

"We hadn't been dating long," Meg continued, not sure why she was even talking to Jim about this. They weren't really friends, just lab partners. "But there was a misunderstanding over break and he broke up with me."

"What happened?"

Meg was surprised that Jim actually seemed to care.

"Um, we had all gone out to this under twenty club and Hades spiked my drink, without me knowing it. The next day I woke up in bed with Hercules wearing nothing but my underwear." Meg bit her lip. "I have no idea what happened, but Hercules says we made out. Thomas said he heard me tell Hercules that I wanted to get back with him. Thomas is convinced I cheated on him and he broke up with me. Then _John _got involved and now I can't go anywhere near Thomas."

"So, what _do _you want?" Jim asked.

"Thomas."

"What if he doesn't want you?"

Meg shrugged. "Then I'm not gonna date again until I get out of this stupid school."

Jim chuckled. "Why is that?"

"'Cause guys just aren't worth the aggravation," Meg replied.

"But, Thomas is?"

Meg nodded. "I think so. But, if he hurts me and turns out to be like every other guy, then I'm done. I can only take so much, ya know."

"Didn't you hurt him?" Jim asked.

Meg rested her chin in her hand. "I don't know. He says I did, but I honestly don't know what happened."

"Well, Meg, it sounds like it's possible that you and Thomas are feeling the same way right now," Jim said. "He probably thought you were different than other girls, too. So, you need to prove that you are."

"I want to, but John won't let me even talk to him," Meg said.

"You're a tough girl, Meg. I'm pretty sure you can handle John." Jim smiled at her.

Meg couldn't help smiling back. "You may be right..."

Jim reached over and took Meg's ketcup-soaked fry, then popped it into his mouth. "Of course I'm right. Don't let anything get in your way, Meg. Show Thomas that you're different and you're not going to give up. You and I both know you're not like any other girl out there. Deep down Thomas must know that, too, or he doesn't know you at all."


	60. Chapter 60

Belle slowly walked back to the girls' locker room after PE. Adam hadn't been there today and Belle was worried about him. She was so distracted by Adam's absence, that it took her a couple attempts before she remembered the combination to her PE locker. After she was done getting dressed, she sat down on the bench to wait for the bell to ring. 

"Did you hear about Adam?"

"Yes, but I don't feel bad for him. It's totally karma."

Belle's ears perked up at what she heard. She quickly stood and walked around to the other side of the lockers. Tinker Bell and Cinderella were the one who had been talking about Adam. Belle sat down next to them.

"What happened to Adam?" Belle asked.

"Since when do _you _partake in gossip?" Cinderella asked.

"Adam's her boyfriend," Tinker Bell said. "She's the one he pushed onto the ground last week."

"He didn't-" Belle shook her head. There was no point in arguing with her. "Please tell me what happened to Adam."

Cinderella looked sadly at Belle. "He got in a motorcycle accident Saturday night and he's in the hospital."

Belle's heart started pounding so hard she thought it would explode. She ran over to the mirrors where Aurora was fixing her hair.

"Aurora, I need your help!" Belle cried frantically.

Aurora's eyes grew wide. "What's wrong?"

"Adam's in the hospital. I have to go see him. Can you drive me?" Belle asked, already pulling Aurora towards the door.

Aurora stopped and pulled her hand free. "I'm not ditching school for that beast."

"Aurora, please!" Belle begged. "I know you don't like him, but what if that was Philip?"

"Adam's in the hospital?"

Belle looked up to see Pocahontas coming up behind Aurora.

"Yes. He got into a motorcycle accident." Of course, Belle knew that wasn't true. But, she wasn't sure how much Pocahontas knew about Adam and his dad and she didn't want to tell her too much.

"That's terrible! I have to tell John." Pocahontas pulled her phone out and sent John a text.

Aurora sighed. "All right. I'll take you to the hospital."

Belle hugged Aurora. "Thank you!"

"John and I are meeting up after class. We'll meet you there," said Pocahontas.

Belle and Aurora ducked out of the school before the bell rang and hurried to Aurora's car. The ride there seemed to drag on forever. When Aurora had parked her car, Belle immediately jumped out and ran inside. Aurora followed after her, trying to keep up. When they reached the front desk, Belle gave them his name and they told him where his room was.

"I'll be in the waiting room if you need me," Aurora said when they got to Adam's floor.

Belle nodded and walked down to Adam's room. She took a deep breath and slowly walked inside. Adam was completely beaten up: two black eyes, deep cuts and bruises covered every visible inch of him. She walked over to him and sat down on the edge of the bed. Adam was asleep. Belle took his hand.

"Adam? Adam, Can you hear me?" Belle asked softly.

Adam opened his eyes and looked at her. Belle sighed in relief.

"Adam, baby, are you all right?" Belle asked.

"Well, I don't have any serious injuries," Adam said. "Just a couple broken ribs. They had to make sure there wasn't any internal bleeding, but I'm fine. I can go home tomorrow."

"I'm so sorry I didn't come sooner. I just found out," Belle said.

"It's all right. I didn't want you to come at all," Adam said.

"Why not?"

"I didn't want you to see me like this."

Belle bit her lip. "Your dad did this, didn't he?"

Adam nodded.

Belle couldn't help feeling angry. "I knew it! You need to tell somebody about this."

"I can't. I mean, look what he did just because he thinks I pushed you," Adam said. "What do you think he'd do to me if I tried turning him in?"

_XXX_

"I have mixed feelings about this whole thing," Aurora told Philip.

Aurora had gotten antsy sitting in the waiting room and had gone outside to call Philip. Luckily, he had English third period and was able to get a hall pass from Mrs. Radcliffe.

"I mean, on the one hand I feel like he had this coming. But, on the other hand, I feel bad for him. And for Belle," Aurora continued.

"Do you think we should tell Maurice about this?" Philip asked. "Belle ditching school to see Adam, I mean."

Aurora sighed. "I don't know. This has gotta be really hard on her. I know I'd be really upset if that was _you_ lying in the hospital."

"He's bound to find out she cut class, though," Philip pointed out.

Aurora thought for a few moments. "Do you think I should cover for her?"

"I don't know, Aurora," Philip said. "We're supposed to be looking out for her. We shouldn't even be letting her do this."

"I don't know if I can do this, Philip. I can't rat out my best friend," Aurora said.

"You don't have to, I'll tell him."

Aurora nervously twirled her hair around her finger. "Okay. Just leave me out of it, please."

"I will," Philip said. "I promise."

"Thanks."

"I gotta get back to class. I'll talk to you later," Philip said.

"All right. Bye."

"Oh, and Aurora?"

"Yeah?"

"Stop twirling your hair," Philip said. "You always get all tangled when you do that."

Aurora stopped mid-twirl. "How did you know I was doing that?"

Philip laughed. "I know you pretty well, Aurora. You always do that when you're nervous."

Aurora smiled and shook her head. "I'll talk to you later."

Aurora hung up her phone and went back up to the waiting room. Pocahontas was sitting on one of the chairs while Belle was pacing back and forth. Aurora figured John was in the room with Adam now.

"How's he doing?" Aurora asked.

"He gets to go home tomorrow," Belle said.

"Well, that's good news," Aurora said, sitting down next to Pocahontas.

"Yeah."

Belle looked angry, worried and distracted. Aurora had the feeling she wasn't getting the whole story.

_XXX_

"Are one of you Belle?"

The three girls looked up to see a man standing in front of them. Belle stood up.

"I'm Belle. We've met before," Belle said.

Pocahontas was surprised at the hostile tone in Belle's voice. Pocahontas wondered who this man was. John came out of Adam's room then.

"What are _you _doing here?" John demanded of the man.

The man glared at John. "I came to see my son."

_Why are John and Belle acting like this towards Adam's father? _Pocahontas wondered.

"Don't you think you've done enough?" Belle demanded.

"What are you talking about?" Adam's father asked with a tone that suggested he thought Belle was crazy. "My son was in a motorcycle accident and I'm just here to check on him."

"Bullshit!" John shouted.

Pocahontas tensed up at the sound of John raising his voice. Next to her, Aurora started twirling her hair around her finger.

Adam's father laughed, but pushed passed John and Belle and went into Adam's room. The look on Belle's face changed from anger to fear. John put a comforting hand on her shoulder. He whispered something to her and she nodded. Belle returned to her seat next to Aurora. John sat down next to Pocahontas. He hunched over and put his head in his hands. Pocahontas put her arm around John.

"Sweetie, are you all right?" Pocahontas asked.

John looked up at her and gave her a forced smile. "I'm fine."

Pocahontas gave him a look that told him she wasn't buying that. "John, what's going on?"

"Honestly, babe, I can't tell you that," John said. "It's not place."

Pocahontas nodded, but didn't say anything. She knew better than to pry. Several minutes later, Adam's father came out.

"You better not have touched him!" Belle demanded as he walked passed her.

Adam's father stopped and crouched down in front of Belle. "It's _your _fault he's here."

"_You're _the one who put him here!" Belle spat.

Adam's father gave Belle a mischievous smile. "Adam was in a motorcycle accident."

"That's _not _true! Adam hates motorcycles; he never would have been on one," Belle said.

Adam's father leaned closer to Belle. "You need to mind your own business."

John got up and pulled Adam's father to his feet. "I think you should leave."

Adam's father didn't say anything and just walked away. Pocahontas replayed everything that had just happened, trying to make sense of it all. _Why were John and Belle so mad at Adam's father? And why did Belle say he was the one who put him the hospital? It had just been accident, right?_


	61. Chapter 61

Rapunzel twirled her pencil as she snuck a peek at Flynn. He was concentrating on his math homework. He always tried really hard at math, but still got the problems wrong and Rapunzel would have to explain it to him. Things between them were slightly awkward, but they weren't as bad as Rapunzel thought they'd be. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. Flynn looked at her and smiled.

"How am I supposed to learn this if you keep distracting me?" Flynn asked.

Rapunzel giggled. "I hear your girlfriend is pretty good at math. I bet you could persuade her to help you with it."

Flynn pretended to think for a second. "Do you think she'd do it?"

Rapunzel shrugged. "You could ask her."

Flynn leaned forward and kissed Rapunzel. "Will you help me with my homework, babe?"

"I don't know..."

Flynn ran his hand down Rapunzel's side. "Please?"

Rapunzel smiled at him. "_Maybe._"

"Maybe?" Flynn gave Rapunzel a mischievous smile, then started tickling her. "_Maybe_? Are you sure?"

"NO!" Rapunzel squealed, laughing. "No, I won't help you!"

"You won't?" Flynn pinned Rapunzel down on the couch and started tickling her with both hands. "How 'bout now?"

"No!" Rapunzel squealed, again. "I will never give into you," she said in between giggles.

"Rapunzel!"

They both sat up. Rapunzel's mom was standing in the front door with Flynn's mother.

"Flynn, what are you two doing?" Flynn's mom demanded.

"We were just playing around," Rapunzel said, quietly.

"Yeah," Flynn agreed. "We were just taking a quick break from homework."

"Rapunzel, we are going home," Rapunzel's mom said.

"But, mom-"

"Now!"

Rapunzel gathered her stuff and followed her mom outside. She got into the car and slumped down in the passenger seat. Her mom got into the car, slamming her door.

"I did not like what I saw in there, Rapunzel," her mom said as she backed out of the driveway. "I don't want you hanging out with that boy anymore."

"Mom, you can't _do _that," Rapunzel protested.

"Oh, yes I can. You're grounded, Rapunzel."

_XXX_

Ariel paced nervously across her room. Eric would be there any minute for dinner. Ariel barely knew Eric and she had no idea what was gong to happen tonight. What if her father didn't like him? What if she found out something about him that _she _didn't like? What if her dad made steak and Eric is a vegetarian? Ariel threw herself backwards on her bed and sighed. The door bell rang and Ariel covered her face with her pillow. A couple minutes later there was a soft knock on her door.

"Ariel?" It was Arista. "Ariel, Eric is here."

Ariel removed the pillow. "I'm coming."

Ariel forced herself to get up and went downstairs. Eric was still standing in front of the door, being grilled by Attina while Adella looked him up and down. Ariel put herself between Eric and her sisters.

"Hi, Ariel," Eric said.

"Hi." Ariel kissed Eric's cheek, then shot her sisters a dirty look.

Adella skipped away. At first, Attina didn't move, but then she shrugged and followed Adella into the dining room.

"Are you ready for this?" Ariel asked.

Eric smiled. "Definitely."

Ariel led Eric into the dining room and they sat down at the table. Her father came inside a few minutes later, holding a big plate stacked with cheeseburgers. He set the plate down, then took his place at the head of the table.

"I love burgers," Eric said.

"Daddy puts bacon bits in the meat before he grills it," Aquata said, reaching over to take a burger.

"That sounds delicious," Eric said.

Everyone took their burgers and started eating.

"My god this good!" Eric explained.

Triton laughed. "Thanks, son."

Eric gave him a thumbs up as he took another bite. Ariel nibbled on her burger as she glanced back and forth between Eric and her dad. Everything was going well, so far, but she was still on edge. Anything could happen; it would only take one comment to make her father go off.

When everyone was done eating, Ariel's sister started cleaning up.

"So, Eric, what do you do for fun?" Triton asked when the three of them were alone.

"I like to play basketball," Eric said. "My dad and I also like to go fishing together."

_Uh-oh! _Ariel quickly looked over at her dad. Triton was a marine biologist and was very active in trying to preserve the sea wildlife.

"What do you do with the fish after you've caught it?" Triton asked.

"Take it home and eat it," Eric said, like that was what you're supposed to do.

Ariel's eyes grew wide and she quickly looked down.

Triton leaned back in his chair. "I see."

Sensing the growing tension, Eric cleared his throat. "Yeah, well, my dad works a lot, so I don't get much time with him. Fishing is something that we're both into. Plus, bringing the fish home and grilling it up together gives us more opportunity to bond with each other."

Ariel glanced over at her dad and was surprised to see he was smiling.

"It's good that you and your father have something you can do together," Triton said. "Glad to hear your dad makes an effort to spend time with you."

"Yes, sir," Eric said.

The phone rang and a few seconds later Arista poked her head out from the kitchen.

"Daddy, it's somebody from work," Arista said.

"Excuse me, I have to take this," Triton said, standing up. "It was very nice to meet you, son. Come back anytime."

When her dad was gone, Ariel breathed a sigh a relief.

"Well, that wasn't so bad," Eric said.

_XXX_

Esmeralda opened her phone, then snapped it shut. She stared at it for a few seconds, then opened it again. She sighed and quickly closed it. _Just do it! _she scolded herself. She took a deep breath, opened her phone and dialed the number before she could change her mind again. When the phone started ringing, she panicked. She thought about hanging up, but the phone was answered after the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Uh, hi. This is Esmeralda."

"I know. What do you want?"

"Um, I wanted to apologize for how I've been acting lately," Esmeralda said. "I'm not very good with taking responsibility for my actions and I tend to get defensive when I've been called out on something I did wrong. And I'm sorry for that."

"I don't think that's really what you should be apologizing for."

Esmeralda took a deep breath. "Right. I'm sorry for the way I treated Phoebus. And I promise I won't be having anymore hostile feelings towards you when you're just trying to help."

There was a long pause before there was a response. "I forgive you," Mulan said. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Actually, yes," Esmeralda admitted. "I would like to get back into our deal. I really need to start exercising with you again. And I can still help you get Shang."

"I don't know, Esmeralda..."

"Mulan, please?"

"All right. Can you come over after school on Friday?" Mulan asked.

"Yes!" Esmeralda said, quickly. "Yes, I can."

"I'll see you then." Mulan hung up without saying goodbye.

Esmeralda closed her phone and tossed it on the bed next to her. She knew she'd be able to fight her bulimia if she could just lose the weight. At least, she hoped she could. She had to prove to everyone that she had this under control, but Esmeralda wasn't completely convinced that she did. It had gotten to the point where Esmeralda had the urge to throw up after eating, even when she didn't want to. The truth was: Esmeralda was really scared.


	62. Chapter 62

As Meg was getting her stuff together for her morning classes, she noticed Thomas walk by. She quickly shoved everything into her backpack and went after him. Meg caught up to Thomas at his locker. 

"Thomas?"

Thomas turned around. When he saw Meg, he turned back to his locker.

"Leave me alone," Thomas said. "We're done, Meg, and that's it."

"Please, Thomas!" Meg pleaded. "I miss you so much."

Thomas slammed his locker shut. "No, you don't. You miss Hercules."

"That's not true!"

Thomas ignored Meg and walked away. Meg sighed and leaned back against Thomas' locker. It just didn't make sense. No part of Meg wanted to be with Hercules, so why would she have told him that? And why was she trying to hook up with Hercules? She sure as hell didn't want_ that_. Meg looked around the hallway as if it would provide the answers for her. That's when she saw Hercules down the hall, talking to Gaston. Meg narrowed her eyes and marched over to him.

"I need a moment alone with Hercules," Meg told Gaston as she approached them.

Gaston nodded and walked away. Hercules looked down at Meg and smiled.

"Morning, Meg," Hercules greeted.

"What _really _happened between us, Hercules?" Meg demanded. "I'm not buying your story anymore; there are too many holes."

"It's the truth," Hercules insisted.

Meg gave Hercules a quick push into the locker. "Damn it, Hercules! I am _not _in the mood for games."

Hercules attempted to hold his ground, but quickly gave in. "Nothing I said was true."

Meg rolled her eyes. "I know that. What _happened_?"

"All you could talk about was how you wanted to hook up with Thomas," Hercules said.

That answer took Meg off guard. But she had to admit, she _did _want to hook up with Thomas. She wasn't ready for that, though. Not yet.

"But, Thomas said he heard me say that I wanted to be with _you_," Meg said.

Hercules nodded. "He heard you say 'I want to be with you', but he heard it out of context. You were talking about him. What you actually said was, 'why can't I just go up to Thomas and say 'I want to be with you'?' But, you were talking about being with him physically."

That made more sense to Meg. "So, how did I end up sleeping next to you in my underwear?"

Hercules ran his hand through his hair. "You wanted to know if your body was good enough for Thomas. You stripped down to your underwear and asked me if Thomas would be disappointed with the way you look. Then, you just passed out and that was it."

"I _knew_ I would never cheat on Thomas," Meg said. "You have to tell Thomas what you just told me."

Hercules shook his head. "No way."

Meg stared at him in disbelief. "Why not?"

"You're not supposed to be with Thomas, Meg. You're supposed to be with me," Hercules said.

"So you're just gonna tear apart my relationship with Thomas because I'm 'supposed' to be with you? Meg asked. "_Meanwhile_, you're still with Helga..."

"It's complicated," Hercules said.

"There's _nothing _complicated about it," Meg stated. "You're just a selfish jerk!"

_XXX_

When the door bell rang, Jasmine ran downstairs and flung open the door. She immediately threw her arms around Aladdin's neck and held him close to her.

"You can't leave me." Tears started to trickle down Jasmine's cheeks.

Aladdin hugged her back, burying his face in her hair. "I'm not leaving _you,_" he whispered. "I'm moving away, but I'll always be yours."

Jasmine slowly pulled away from him, but kept his hand in hers. "Why weren't you at school today? I was so worried; I thought your dad came for you early."

"That's not going to happen. He wants me to finish the school year," Aladdin said. "My dad _was_ in town today, though, and he pulled me out of school so we could talk things through."

Jasmine led Aladdin inside and up to her room.

"What did you talk about?" Jasmine asked, sitting down on her bed.

"Mostly he just went on about how I was going to the 'best' high school in the area and how he was going to be around a lot more and that things were going to be different for us," Aladdin said. "It's his way of trying to be a better father. Evidently his new boss is very family-oriented and my dad is trying to impress him by making it look like we have the perfect father-son relationship."

"Well, it's important for you to have a good relationship with your father," Jasmine said.

"The only relationship that matters to me is ours, Jasmine. And he's tearing me away from it," Aladdin said.

Aladdin sighed and lied back on the bed. Jasmine bit her lip as she looked down at him.

"Aladdin, there's something I want to talk to you about," Jasmine said.

"What is it babe?" Aladdin asked.

"I love you more than anything, Aladdin." Jasmine paused.

"I love you, too."

Jasmine took a deep breath. "I want you to be my first."

Aladdin slowly sat up, but didn't take his eyes off Jasmine. "Are you sure you're ready for that?"

"I don't know," Jasmine admitted. "But, I _do _know that I'm going to love you forever and I want to be able to express that with you before you leave."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Aladdin said.

Jasmine couldn't help feeling a little hurt by his rejection. "Why not?"

"Jasmine, this is a big step and we can't rush into it," Aladdin said.

"Are you saying you don't... want to do it... with me?" Jasmine asked, slowly.

"That's not what I'm saying," Aladdin replied. "I just think we need to wait."

"But, what if you leave and I never see you again?" Jasmine started crying at the thought of losing Aladdin.

Aladdin took Jasmine's hand. "That's exactly why we can't do this, babe. I don't want you to give yourself to me and then never see me again. You'll end up regretting sleeping with me."

Jasmine shook her head. "That wouldn't happen. There's no way I could ever regret anything I do with you."

"I don't want to take that chance," Aladdin said.

"You don't understand. You're the _only _one for me, Aladdin," Jasmine told him. "You have my heart and you always will. If we were to ever break up, I couldn't be with anyone else. I want you to have _all _of me. Nothing will ever change my mind about that."

"What kind of man sleeps with a girl and then leaves?" Aladdin asked.

"It wouldn't be like that," Jasmine said. "You wouldn't be _using _me. We'd be giving each other everything we have to give. I want all of you just as much as I want you to have all of me."

"I'm sorry, Jasmine, but I can't risk hurting you." Aladdin got up and started walking out of the bedroom.

"What if you find another girl while you're in New York?" Jasmine blurted out.

Aladdin turned around and Jasmine buried her face in her hands. Aladdin sat back down on the bed and made Jasmine look at him.

"Jasmine, no one will ever replace you," Aladdin said. "I'm yours for as long as you want me."

"I want you forever," Jasmine said.

"Then I'll be yours forever."


	63. Chapter 63

Pocahontas sighed and leaned back against her locker. She was hoping John would meet her like he usually did during this passing period, but he didn't. Part of her wasn't surprised, though. Their relationship had been strained since she talked to him at his house three days earlier. They were still eating lunch together, but they always ended up arguing. Pocahontas felt bad for Thomas. They were mostly arguing about him and Meg. As much as Pocahontas hated fighting with John, this was one time she wasn't going to back down. She knew she was right and they need to stay out of Thomas' private business.

Pocahontas waited another minute for John, but then started heading to class. As she was walking down the hall, a hand reached out and grabbed her arm. Before she knew what was happening, Pocahontas was pulled into the janitor's closet. The door was closed behind her and she was in complete darkness with whoever grabbed her.

"Let me out!" Pocahontas demanded. She tried to get out, but they pinned her against the door.

"Babe, relax, it's me."

Pocahontas sighed in relief when she heard it was John. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Pocahontas felt her backpack being pulled off her shoulder, then heard it hit the ground. John then roughly forced his mouth against hers. Pocahontas wasn't sure how to react. It wasn't like John to be rough with her, but at the same time she found herself enjoying it. John pulled her closer to him. She leaned back so that John's arm was the only thing holding her up. John put his hand against the door to support them. Pocahontas gripped John's arm with one hand and ran her other hand through his hair. She sighed when he slipped his tongue in her mouth. John then bit her bottom lip as he broke the kiss.

"I've never made out with someone in anger before," John said. "It was hot."

Pocahontas nodded in agreement, although she wished John wasn't angry at her. Either way, he was right; that had been hot and Pocahontas wanted it to continue. She pulled his head back down to hers and welcomed his rough kiss. John let out a small growl as he claimed Pocahontas' mouth. She moaned and squeezed his bicep as her whole body tensed up. A strange feeling flowed through Pocahontas' body and she felt herself losing control. Suddenly, John pulled away and stepped back. Pocahontas leaned back against the door trying to return her breathing back to normal. However, she could do nothing to slow her racing heart.

"What's the matter?" Pocahontas asked.

"I really want you," John told her.

Pocahontas bit her lip. She wanted John as well, but she couldn't let herself get caught up in her hormones.

"I have to go," John said.

John slipped out of the closet and Pocahontas was left standing there alone.

_XXX_

Ariel sat down on the rock in the courtyard while she waited for Eric. He told her to meet him there after school because there was something he wanted to talk to her about. Ariel was feeling a little uncomfortable since she didn't know if it was going to be a good talk or a bad one. She started nervously picking at the small hole in her jeans.

"Hey, hon!"

Ariel looked up and smiled at Eric. "Hey, baby. What's up?"

Eric sat down behind Ariel so she was sitting between his legs. He wrapped his arms around and handed her a sheet of paper. It was a flyer from the choir room about the upcoming auditions for the solo in the spring concert. Ariel sighed and leaned back against Eric.

"What are you doing with this, Eric?" Ariel asked.

"Are you auditioning?" Eric asked.

"No."

"I knew it. Why not?"

"Because I can't sing in front of all those people," Ariel replied. "I'm not as confident as Snow White."

"Why do you always compare yourself to her?" Eric asked.

"Because she's better than me," Ariel said, as if it were obvious.

"Mrs. Rabbit doesn't think so, and neither do I," Eric said. "If I remember correctly _you're _the one who got the standing ovation at the last concert. Not Snow White."

"I know, but I just can't do it, Eric." Ariel went to stand up and walk away, but Eric wrapped his arms tighter around her.

"You're not going anywhere," Eric said. "You can't keep running away from the things you're afraid of."

Ariel tilted her head back and rested it on Eric's shoulder. Eric rested his head against hers.

"You're auditioning for the solo on Friday," Eric stated.

"No, I'm not."

"Do it or I'm breaking up with you," Eric said.

"What!"

"You have to face your fears, Ariel," Eric said.

"This isn't fair," Ariel said.

"I'm trying to help you. Go out there and take what belongs to you: the solo and me," Eric said. "Either you get both, or you get neither. It's up to you, Ariel. It's time to stand up and fight."

_XXX_

"You can get whatever you want," Aurora told Alice as they walked into Mickey's Diner.

They picked a booth in Tiana's section and Alice immediately started coloring her kids' menu. It took Tiana a few minutes to make it over to their table.

"Are you ready to order?" Tiana asked, looking frazzled. It was a particularly busy afternoon.

"Can I get a Caesar salad and a strawberry milkshake?" Aurora asked.

"Of course." Tiana jotted down Aurora's order, then looked over at Alice. "What about you, baby girl?"

Alice frowned. "I don't know."

Tiana sat down next to Alice. She ran her finger down the kids' menu. "I think the chicken fingers are yummy."

"I do, too," Alice said.

"Is that what you want?" Tiana asked.

Alice nodded. "Yeah!"

"What do you want to drink?" Tiana asked, as she wrote up Alice's order.

"Aurora, can I get a milkshake, too?" Alice asked with big puppy eyes.

Aurora laughed. "Yeah, you can."

Getting caught up in her own excitement, Alice jumped up. She pointed down at the menu. "I want a vanilla milkshake."

"You got it," Tiana said, before walking away.

"Did you have a fun visit with your sister?" Aurora asked.

"Yes," Alice said as she started coloring again. "Mommy said sissy is having a baby."

Aurora was surprised to hear that. Alice's sister was only a couple years older Aurora.

"You must be excited about that," Aurora said.

"I guess. Daddy said that when the baby is born sissy won't be around anymore," Alice said, sadly.

"Don't worry, she'll still be around," Aurora assured her. "She'll be very busy at first, but she'll still make time for her favorite sister."

Alice giggled. "I'm her only sister."

Talking about sisters made Aurora miss Belle. Belle was the closet thing she's ever had to a sister. Aurora no longer thought she was doing the right thing by trying to keep her from Adam. Meddling in Belle's relationship was only pulling them apart. Aurora wanted to protect Belle, but seeing her at the hospital with Adam made her start second guessing whether or not Adam was really as bad as he seemed. And, of course, Aurora wasn't blind; she saw that something was going on with Adam's father. She had her suspicions, but didn't want to bring anything up with Belle. If Aurora's guess was correct, then Adam probably didn't want people talking about it. Aurora decided she was going to sit down and talk with both Belle and Adam to let them know she was fully supportive of their relationship.


	64. Chapter 64

As Esmeralda walked up to Mulan's house she noticed Mulan was pacing back and for on her porch, muttering in Chinese. Esmeralda slowly walked up the porch steps. 

"Mulan?"

Mulan snapped her head towards Esmeralda as if she had been taken by surprise.

"Oh. Hi, Esmeralda," Mulan said.

"Is everything all right?" Esmeralda asked.

Mulan nodded. "Yeah. Are you ready to start your work-out?"

"Of course," Esmeralda said, motioning at her work-out shorts and sports bra.

"All right. Let's go around back."

Mulan started walking down the porch steps, but stopped suddenly. Esmeralda hadn't been paying attention and ran into her, causing them both to tumble down the steps. Mulan groaned as Esmeralda landed on top of her. Esmeralda quickly rolled off her and sat up.

"What happened?" Esmeralda asked. It was then that she noticed Mulan was staring straight forward. Esmeralda glanced toward where she was staring and saw Shang talking to another girl. The girl was flirting heavily with Shang. "Oh."

Mulan sighed and fell backwards. "He's probably going to take her to the banquet next weekend."

"What banquet?" Esmeralda asked.

"It's just a dinner for all the soldiers on the base," Mulan replied. "I had been hoping to go with Shang. I guess that's not going to happen."

Esmeralda thought for a moment, nibbling on her lip. She then got up and walked over to Shang. She rested her arm on his shoulder and popped out her hip. The girl stopped talking and looked Esmeralda up and down. Shang seemed a little uncomfortable, but didn't move.

"I need a moment alone with Shang," Esmeralda told the girl.

"We were in the middle of a conversation," the girl said.

"That conversation is over." Esmeralda noticed the girl staring at her body. Esmeralda put her hand on her hip. "That's right, honey, I win. Now, get lost."

The girl glared at Esmeralda, but walked away. Esmeralda turned so she was now standing in front of Shang.

Shang ran his hand through his hair. "Look, I'm not really interested-"

Esmeralda waved her hand dismissively. "I'm not interested in you, either. I have a boyfriend."

"Then what was that all about?" Shang asked.

"Have you asked anyone to the go to that banquet with you, yet?" Esmeralda asked.

Shang shook his head. "No. The girl I want to take doesn't really see me in that way."

"Anyone I know?" Esmeralda asked.

"Actually, yeah. It's Mulan."

Esmeralda smiled at him. "I can talk to her if you want."

"You don't have to-"

"Come back to Mulan's house in fifteen minutes." Before Shang could say anything, Esmeralda walked away.

When Esmeralda walked back to the house, she was greeted by a dirty look from Mulan.

"How could you do that to me?" Mualn demanded.

"Relax. Come on." Esmeralda took Mulan's hand and led her up to her room.

Esmeralda opened Mulan's closet and pulled out some clothes. "Put these on."

Mulan stared at the clothes for a minute, but took them and changed into them. Esmeralda then had Mulan sit on the bed as she fixed her hair and makeup. Just as she was finishing Mulan's quick makeover, the doorbell rang. Esmeralda winked at Mulan as she went to open the door. Shang was standing there looking slightly awkward. When he saw Mulan, he smiled.

"Shang? What are you doing here?" Mulan asked.

Shang glanced at Esmeralda and she nodded at him. Shang cleared his throat. "Mulan, would you do me the honor of going to the banquet...with me?"

Mulan smiled at him. "Yes."

_XXX_

Rapunzel had been lying in bed for almost two hours before her parents finally went to sleep. She sighed and rolled over so she was facing her window. The broken streetlight outside shone a flickering light into her window. Not being able to sleep, Rapunzel started counting how many times the streetlight went off and then cam back on. She was at seventeen when her window started opening. She slowly sat up and held her breath.

"Hey," Thomas whispered as he climbed inside her window.

Rapunzel sighed in relief. "Hi, Thomas."

"I guess you got yourself grounded, huh?"

Rapunzel nodded. "Yeah. My mom overreacted when she saw Flynn and me messing around."

"I see." Thomas lied across the foot of Rapunzel's bed and propped his head up on his hand. "How long are you grounded?"

Rapunzel shrugged. "Couple weeks, I think. I'm not allowed to leave the house, except to go to school."

"That sucks."

Rapunzel nodded. "It really does."

"Looks like we're gonna have to sneak around if we want to see each other," Thomas said.

Rapunzel laughed. "Yuppers."

"Rapunzel?" Thomas said after a few quiet moments passed.

"Yeah?"

"Can I be honest with you?" Thomas asked.

"Of course. What is it?"

"I miss Meg."

Rapunzel resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Thomas, you gotta move on. She's not good for you."

Thomas rolled over onto his back. "I know. But, I can't."

"Why not?"

"I love her."

"I don't know if I believe that," Rapunzel said. She knew Thomas wouldn't want to hear her explanation, so she continued before he could interrupt. "If you really love her, why won't you talk to her? And why are you letting John make your relationship decisions?"

"John isn't..."

"Yes he is, Thomas. He's acting like your bodyguard and you're letting him," Rapunzel said. "Personally, I don't like Meg. Like I said, she's not good for you. I honestly think she _did_ cheat on you. But, this is none of my business. I'm not going to tell you what to do. Do whatever _you_ want, Thomas, and stop listening to everyone else."

"I still have my doubts about her, Rapunzel. But, that doesn't change how I feel about her," Thomas said. "I don't know what to do."

"Talk to her," Rapunzel said as if that was the most obvious response. "Get her side of the story. We all know Hercules is kind of a jerk. Maybe he did make the whole thing up."

Rapunzel didn't actually believe Hercules made it up, but she was desperately trying to push Thomas to make his own move.

"I _heard_ her tell him she wants to be with him," Thomas said.

"Maybe she does."

Thomas looked at Rapunzel like she had slapped him. "Do you really think she does?"

Rapunzel groaned in frustration. "I don't _know._ Just talk to her, Thomas, and find out. This whole situation probably isn't near as complicated as you-and John- are making it out to be."

"You're right, Rapunzel."

"Of course I am."


	65. Chapter 65

Jasmine sat uncomfortably on Aladdin's couch while they waited for his dad to come home. This was the first time Cassim had been in town since they started dating and it was important to Aladdin that he and Jasmine met. Normally, Jasmine wouldn't be nervous about meeting Aladdin's dad, but things between her and Aladdin had been awkward since she told him she wanted to sleep with him before he left.

When Cassim got home, Aladdin went over to the front door to greet him.

"Hey, dad," Aladdin said.

"Hi, son."

"Dad, there's someone I want you to meet," Aladdin said, leading his dad to the living room. "This is my girlfriend, Jasmine."

Jasmine quickly stood up and stuck out her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Cassim smiled at Jasmine and shook her hand. "You as well."

Jasmine sat back down on the couch and Aladdin joined her. He took her hand and smiled encouragingly at her.

"I'm surprised you two are still together," Cassim said, sitting down on the armchair.

Jasmine tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"Since Aladdin is moving, I assumed you two would have broken up by now," Cassim explained.

"We're not breaking up," Aladdin said.

"You're not?" Cassim asked.

"Of course not," Jasmine replied. "We can make this work. We love each other."

Cassim raised an eyebrow. "You're only seventeen; you have no idea what love is. And, trust me, long distance relationships never work."

"They do if both people are committed and work at it," Jasmine said, defensively.

Cassim laughed. "You're only in high school. Eventually you'll both find other people and move on."

"We don't want to be with anyone else," Aladdin said.

"You say that now, but you're moving to a whole new state, Aladdin. You're bound to find someone else. Someone who lives close to you," Cassim said.

"Why are you being so negative?" Jasmine demanded.

"Look, you're a beautiful girl, Jasmine, but it's just not realistic to think that Aladdin won't find someone else he'd rather be with. And you can definitely do better than my son," Cassim said as if he just made the most obvious statement.

"Dad, that's enough!" Aladdin shouted. "Just because all of your relationships have failed, doesn't mean _every _relationship will."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Jasmine added. "Aladdin is the most amazing person I've ever met. No one out there is better for me than him."

"Come on, Jasmine, let's go," Aladdin said.

The two of them stood up and started walking towards the door.

"Oh, Aladdin?" Cassim called after him.

Aladdin turned around. "What?"

"Did I forget to mention that your friend attends the high school you'll be attending next year?" Cassim asked. "And I've also hired her to work in my office part-time with you." 

"What friend?" Aladdin asked.

"Sadira."

Jasmine's blood ran cold. "Sadira? Your ex girlfriend?"

"That's right," Cassim said. "Sadira and Aladdin broke up because she moved to New York and he didn't want to get into a long distance relationship. But, it looks like they're going to be reunited."

Jasmine felt like she was going to be sick. She suddenly became light-headed and she thought she was going to faint. Aladdin was moving closer to his ex girlfriend and was going to be spending more time with her; the same ex girlfriend that he always talked about. Jasmine was now starting to think Cassim was right.

_XXX_

"Meg!"

Meg sighed when she heard her name being called out. Not wanting to talk to anyone, she ignored them and continued to put her homework in her backpack. The day was finally over and she just wanted to go home. She slammed her locker shut and was startled to see Thomas standing there.

"Thomas, hi," Meg said. "What's going on?"

"Meg, what really happened between you and Hercules?" Thomas asked.

Meg slung her backpack over her shoulder and told Thomas everything Hercules had told her. She suddenly felt very uncomfortable as she told Thomas that she had confessed to wanting to sleep with him. When she finished, Thomas blushed.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you," Thomas said.

"Yeah, well, I know it looked really bad," Meg said. She cleared her throat. "Um, Thomas, I do _want _sleep with you. However, at the same time, I'm not ready."

Thomas nodded. "Me either."

Meg nervously started picking at a loose thread on the strap of her backpack. "So, uh, where does this leave us?"

Thomas cupped his hand around the back of Meg's neck and pulled her into a kiss. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck. When they finally pulled apart, they realized Hercules was standing next to them.

"Can we help you?" Meg asked.

"I came over to tell Thomas the truth about what happened," Hercules said flatly.

"I already told him," Meg said.

Hercules shook his head. "Thomas we lied to you. Meg and I slept together. She begged me not to tell you, but it's not fair for us to keep this from you. You have the right to know."

Meg could feel her jaw drop at what she heard. "What the hell! Why are you doing this to us?" Tears filled her eyes.

Thomas studied Meg's face, then turned to face Hercules. "You had your chance with her and you ruined it," Thomas said, angrily. "Meg is _my _girlfriend now and there's nothing you can do about it. So, just leave us alone."

Hercules glared at Thomas. "Meg is a slut. She'll stick her tongue down the throat of any guy who smiles at her."

Meg went to slap Hercules, but Thomas stepped in front her. He shoved Hercules from behind as he started to walk away. Hercules spun around and pinned Thomas against the locker.

"Let him go!" Meg cried, trying to pull Hercules' arm off Thomas' neck.

Hercules pushed Meg away from him. Thomas suddenly became very angry and he punched Hercules. The blow forced Hercules down to his knees. As fate would have it, Naveen and Edward were walking by at that moment and saw what happened. They both laughed at Hercules.

"Don't you ever touch my girlfriend again!" Thomas demanded.

Hercules scowled at Thomas, but just walked away.

Thomas put his arm around Meg. "Are you all right?"

Meg smiled up at him. "I'm fine."

_XXX_

Belle had been so happy when Aurora called her and told her she was supportive of her relationship with Adam. Aurora said she and Philip wanted to take Belle and Adam out to breakfast before school, so now Belle was sitting on her front steps waiting for them to pick her up. When Philip pulled into her driveway, Aurora immediately jumped out of the car and the girls hugged each other.

"I'm so sorry," Aurora said.

"It's okay," Belle replied, as they got in the car.

Philip backed the car out of the driveway. "Where does Adam live?" he asked.

"We're picking him up from the woods between Andalasia and Camelot," Belle said.

"No man's land?"

Belle nodded. "Yeah."

When they arrived at the woods, Belle quickly got out of the car. She made her way through the woods, with Aurora and Philip close behind her.

"Why are we picking him up here?" Aurora asked.

"He has a treehouse in here that he uses as an escape when he needs to get away..."

"...from his dad?" Aurora finished.

Belle glanced back at Aurora. "You know about his dad?"

"I kinda figured it out after what happened at the hospital," Aurora said.

"Please don't tell anyone."

"I won't."

When they reached the treehouse, Belle could see Adam in one of the small windows. She waved up at him as she walked towards the treehouse. She stopped suddenly, however, when she suddenly saw smoke coming from the window. Within a few seconds, Adam was completely surrounded by smoke and flames were spreading through the treehouse.

At first, everything was moving in slow motion and Belle thought it wasn't real. As the heat hit Belle, she snapped back to reality.

"Adam!" Belle screamed.

Belle started to run towards the treehouse, but Philip grabbed her and pulled her back. Somewhere behind her Belle could hear Aurora talking to the fire department on her phone.

"Let me go!" Belle cried. "I have to help Adam!"

"It's too dangerous," Philip said.

Belle struggled against Philip and was able to get free. She ran as fast as she could to the treehouse. She could hear Philip calling after her as he chased her, but she ignored him.

"Adam!" Belle called when she reached the ladder. She could see the inside of the treehouse was engulfed in flames, but it hadn't spread to the ladder, yet.

Belle started to climb up the ladder, but Philip reached up and pulled her down.

"Belle, stop!" Philip demanded.

Belle pushed Philip away from her and climbed up the ladder. She was immediately greeted by smoke and intense heat.

"Adam?" Belle called out. She started coughing and slowly tried walking through the treehouse.

"Belle!" Aurora cried. "Belle, are you okay?"

The fire was spreading quickly and the smoke was getting thicker. Belle could no longer see anything and she was having a hard time breathing. She heard a cracking sound and her eyes grew wide in terror when she realized it was the wood breaking. She turned around and made her way back towards the ladder.

"Belle!" Aurora screamed.

"Belle? Belle, can you hear me?" It was a male voice this time and he sounded close.

Belle tried to answer, but went into a coughing fit instead. She felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her and lift her up. She was pulled to the ladder and then lifted onto his back. They made their way down, then he lowered her to her feet and put his arm around her. They hurried away from the treehouse and didn't stop until they were a safe distance away. Belle collapsed to her knees and Aurora was instantly kneeling in front of her.

"Oh, thank God you're okay!" Aurora said as tears rolled down her cheeks.

It was then that Belle realized she was crying as well.

"What were you thinking?" Philip demanded, though his voice sounded more worried than angry.

"I had to save Adam." Belle hugged herself. "But I couldn't."

Aurora brushed Belle's hair off her face. "Honey, Adam saved _you._"

Belle looked up to see Adam lying on the ground next to her. His skin was black with ash and he looked exhausted, but he seemed to be uninjured.

"Oh, Adam!" Belle cried as she lied down next to him.

"Adam, what happened?" Philip asked.

Adam wrapped his arms around Belle and pulled her close to him. "It was my dad."


	66. Chapter 66

Aurora stood on the side of the road, with Philip's arm around her, while Belle and Adam finished talking to the police. She couldn't believe what she just witnessed. It had happened so fast, but at the same time everything had seemed to be moving in slow motion. She glanced down at Philip's watch. School would be starting in fifteen minutes. Aurora sighed; she didn't really feel up to going to school this morning. How could she? Her best friend had almost died in a fire. Aurora had never been so scared in her life. She didn't know what she would do if she had lost Belle. 

After the police pulled away, Aurora and Philip walked over to Belle and Adam. They all stood silently, none of them making a move towards Philip's car.

"I don't want to go to school," Belle said, quietly.

"Me either," Aurora said.

Adam and Philip nodded in agreement.

"Why don't we go to my house?" Aurora offered. "My parents won't be home from work 'till later."

The four of them got into the car and Philip drove to Aurora's house. Aurora let Belle and Adam take showers and Belle borrowed some clean clothes. Then they all gathered in Aurora's living room. Adam was sitting on the la-z-boy with Belle curled up in his lap like a child. Aurora and Philip were stretched out on the couch.

"Did you tell the police that your dad was the one who started the fire?" Philip asked.

Adam shook his head. "No."

"Why not?" Aurora asked in surprise.

"I'm only seventeen; if they arrested my dad they'd remove me and I would have to live in a foster home," Adam replied.

"What about your mom?" Aurora asked.

"My mom is a druggie. They would never give her custody," Adam said.

"Adam, this is serious," Philip said. "Your dad tried to _kill _you. You have to turn him in. Whatever foster family you end up with can't be worse than what you have to deal with now."

"Philip's right," Aurora agreed.

"It's irrelevant," Adam said. "We don't have any proof that he did it. They wouldn't be able to charge him with anything."

"We have to do _something,_" Belle said.

_XXX_

Rapunzel stared at the clock hanging on the hallway wall. The bell would be ringing in only a couple minutes. She decided now was the time to talk to Flynn, before she lost her nerve. She hurried over to his locker. He was just closing it and getting ready to go to class.

"Hey, babe," Flynn greeted when Rapunzel came up to him.

"Flynn, we need to talk," Rapunzel said. "I don't know what's going on, but things have been... awkward between us since we..." She lowered her voice. "...slept together. Are you having regrets?"

Flynn actually looked relieved. "No! I thought you were."

Rapunzel relaxed a little. "No, I'm not."

Flynn leaned back against his locker. "I honestly thought you were wishing you hadn't done it and maybe started having second thoughts about being with me."

"No way! Why would you think that?" Rapunzel asked.

"I don't know. I guess I thought maybe you were... _disappointed_."

Rapunzel smiled at him. "Definitely not."

Rapunzel stood in front of Flynn and leaned in to give him a kiss. He dropped his backpack and wrapped his arms around her. Rapunzel's heart started racing and her mind wandered back to that night in the cabin. It was the only time they had slept together, but she had been thinking about it a lot and wanted to do it again. It was more romantic and passionate than she thought it would be and she wanted to feel that way again.

Too bad she was grounded.

"Ahem."

Startled, Rapunzel and Flynn pulled apart. Miss Kida was standing in front of them with a binder clutched to her chest and her hand on her hip.

"The bell rang," Miss Kida said.

It was then that Rapunzel realized they were the only ones in the hallway.

"Sorry, Miss Kida," Rapunzel said.

Miss Kida smiled at them. "It's all right. I remember what it's like to be young and in love." She opened her binder and pulled out a couple passes and signed them. She handed them to Flynn and Rapunzel.

"Don't make this a habit. Now, get to class."

_XXX_

Pocahontas poked at her salad for a few minutes, before sliding it away from her. John had her on an emotional roller coaster lately and she hadn't been able to eat anything. She could kind of understand why he was upset with her, but she didn't understand what had happened in the janitor's closet a couple days ago.

"You need to eat something."

Pocahontas looked up to see John standing next to the table.

"I'm not hungry," Pocahontas muttered.

John sat down across from her and pushed her salad back in front of her. Pocahontas just stared at it.

"You're so stubborn," John said.

"You're one to talk."

John sighed. "I know."

Pocahontas rested her chin in her hand. "I guess Thomas and Meg got back together."

John frowned. "Yeah."

Pocahontas watched him, waiting for him to say something else, but he didn't. She cleared her throat. "I would think that would mute our argument."

"You weren't on my side when I needed you," John said, flatly.

Pocahontas couldn't help but smile a little. "John, we're rarely on the same side."

John fought the urge to smile back at her, but he cracked. "You're right."

"I'm always right," Pocahontas said.

John laughed. "No, you're not. _However_, you were right about not getting involved in the situation with Thomas and Meg. I get so caught up in trying to protect him that I forget he's capable of taking care of himself."

"Obviously. Did you hear about what he did to Hercules?"

John nodded. "Yeah, that was pretty impressive."

"Yeah."

"Pocahontas, I'm sorry for the way I've been acting."

"It's all right."

"No it's not," John said. "If you had been acting like that towards me, I probably would have broken up with you. But, you didn't; you stayed by me. I didn't deserve that, but I'm grateful for it."

Pocahontas smiled at him. "John, we may not always be on the same side, but we're still a team and I'll always be there for you."


	67. Chapter 67

Jasmine paced back and forth across her bedroom. Aladdin sat on her bed, watching her with an amused expression on his face. Every once in a while she would start to say something, but then would sigh and go back to pacing.

Aladdin cleared his throat. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

Jasmine stopped pacing and put her hands on her hips. "I'm not happy, Aladdin."

Aladdin couldn't help but laugh. "I can see that, babe. You wanna tell me _why_?"

Jasmine sighed sadly and sat down next to Aladdin. "I don't want you to go to New York."

Aladdin put his arm around Jasmine. "I don't want to go, either."

Jasmine shook her head. "What if your dad is right?"

"He's not."

"Aladdin, you're moving across the country." Jasmine paused. "And you're going to be spending a lot of time with your ex girlfriend."

"Babe, you don't have anything to worry about," Aladdin said.

"Don't I?" Jasmine asked, getting a little frustrated. "Aladdin, you talk about her _a lot _and the only reason you broke up was because of the distance. Now you're moving closer to her. And you'll be going to school together and working together. What if those old feelings come back?"

"That's not going to happen."

"How do you _know_?" Jasmine was a little annoyed that she was concerned about their relationship and Aladdin was being so calm.

"Jasmine, listen to me," Aladdin said. "There was a lot more to our break up than just her moving. Honestly, Sadira is crazy. She's obsessive and controlling and just an all-around bitch. I have absolutely no desire to be with that girl again."

"But, you talk about her all the time," Jasmine said.

"I compare her to you," Aladdin said. "You two are like night and day. You're so awesome; she's got nothing on you. I talk about her to show you how much I appreciate everything you do-and don't do."

Jasmine felt a little better, however she still had her lingering concerns. But, she and Aladdin didn't have much time left together and she didn't want to waste any of that time talking about his ex girlfriend. She pulled herself onto Aladdin's lap, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed _her _boyfriend.

_XXX_

Esmeralda's phone vibrated on the desk next to her and she quickly snatched it up, thankful for an excuse to take a break from her homework.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Esmeralda! It's Mulan."

"What's up?"

"Um, well, I'm having some... _boy _trouble and I need your help," Mulan said. "Can we meet up somewhere?"

"Of course," Esmeralda replied. "Meet me at the park."

Esmeralda hung up and put her homework back in her book bag. As she was walking across her bedroom, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the full-length mirror. She made a face at it and decided to freshen up a little bit. She changed into a white, short-sleeved, off-the-shoulder top and purple skinny jeans with a purple ribbon headband. She applied a little mascara, then slipped on her white strappy sandals and headed to the park. She found Mulan sitting on a bench. Mulan gave her a quick wave as she stood up.

"Hey, Mulan," Esmeralda greeted. 

"Ah, Mulan, there you are."

Esmeralda looked up to see Phoebus approaching them. Esmeralda glared at him.

"What the hell!" Esmeralda demanded.

Phoebus looked just as confused, but wasn't as angry. "What's going on, Mulan?"

Mulan blushed. "I'm sorry, guys, I had to. Esmeralda, Phoebus won't stop talking about you. You two need to work this out."

"No way!" Esmeralda turned on her heel and started walking away, but Mulan grabbed her and pulled her back. Esmeralda cursed Mulan's strength.

"_Please_?" Mulan begged. "Esmeralda, you helped me with Shang, so now I want to help you with Phoebus."

Esmeralda groaned loudly. "Why does everyone _insist _on trying to 'help' me?"

"I don't want to force Esmeralda to do anything," Phoebus said.

"I do," Mulan said. "Now, you two are going to talk and you're not leaving until you do. I'm gonna be over there, so I can keep an eye on you."

Esmeralda and Phoebus watched Mulan walk away. Esmeralda thought about making a run for it, but she knew Mulan would be able to catch her. She sighed in defeat and faced Phoebus. He was staring at her with sadness in his eyes. A twinge of guilt invaded Esmeralda's heart. She really did love him. Why did he have to be a traitor?

"Esmeralda, Jasmine and I didn't mean to hurt you. We honestly thought we were doing the right thing," Phoebus said.

"So you've said," Esmeralda muttered. No way was she going to let Phoebus break her.

Phoebus took a step towards her and she took a step back. "I'm not sorry I did it, though." He took another step forward and she took another step backward. "You're more important to me than you know." Another step. "As your man, it's my job to protect you, Esmeralda, and that's what I was doing." He took another step and lowered his voice. "I love you and you can be mad at me all you want, but I'm not going anywhere."

Phoebus took one more step forward. Esmeralda took another step backwards and ran into something. She glanced behind her and saw that it was a tree. She looked back at Phoebus. His body was now only a foot from hers. Esmeralda's heart started racing. _Stay strong_, she told herself. Phoebus rested his arm on the tree above Esmeralda and he leaned forward on it. He was now only inches from her. Esmeralda took a deep breath and caught the scent of his cologne. Her heart was now pounding so hard she thought it would escape from her chest. Phoebus ran his hand down her neck and over her bare shoulder. Esmeralda shivered in anticipation and desire.

_Damn._

"You're cold," Phoebus said.

Esmeralda shook her head. "It wasn't that kind of shiver."

Phoebus slid his hand down her back and pulled her close to him. Esmeralda could no longer breathe. She parted her lips to get some air. Phoebus lowered his head so that his lips were barely brushing over hers. His mouth hovered above hers, driving her crazy.

"Kiss me," Phoebus whispered.

Esmeralda hesitated, but then met his lips with hers and kissed him with every ounce of passion inside her.

_XXX_

Ariel stood in the hallway outside of the choir room, waiting for her solo audition. She leaned against the wall and shook her hands vigorously as her nerves took over. _Stupid Eric_, she thought to herself. As if on cue, Eric walked down the hallway and came to a stop in front of her.

"I'm next," Ariel told him.

"Can I watch?" Eric asked.

"Absolutely not."

Mrs. Rabbit came out into the hallway. "Ariel?"

Ariel took a shaky breath and walked into the choir room. She took her place next to the piano as Mrs. Rabbit got the sheet music ready.

"Start here and end here," Mrs. Rabbit said, pointing at the sheet music.

Ariel nodded. Mrs. Rabbit was having her sing a few measures of the song _"Hero" _by Mariah Carey, which was the solo song. Mrs. Rabbit started playing the piano. Ariel was so nervous, that she missed her cue.

"Sorry," Ariel muttered.

Mrs. Rabbit smiled at her. "It's okay. Try again."

Ariel took a deep breath. _"There's a hero, if you look inside your heart._ _You don't have to be afraid of what you are..." _

As Ariel sang, she started to understand what Eric had been saying. She got caught up in the song, feeling the words pour out of her as if they had been built up inside her this whole time. It wasn't until after she finished singing that she realized she had sung the whole song. Mrs. Rabbit never tried stopping her, just kept playing. When the song was over, Mrs. Rabbit smiled at Ariel.

Mrs. Rabbit reached over and put her hand on Ariel's. "Teachers aren't supposed to show favoritism," she said. "But, Ariel, you're definitely my favorite student."

Ariel blushed. "Thank you."

"To be fair, I have to finish the solo auditions," Mrs. Rabbit said. "But I'm telling you now, that you got the solo, Ariel."

Ariel couldn't help getting excited. "Thank you so much!"

Ariel hurried out into the hallway where Eric was waiting for her. She pulled him away from the other students who were waiting to audition.

"I got the solo!" Ariel said as soon as they were out earshot.

Eric smiled excitedly at her. "I knew you would!"

Ariel started twirling her hair around her finger. "Now, you don't have to break up with me."

Eric pulled Ariel into his arms. "I wasn't actually going to break up with you. I just needed to get you motivated, to push you, to audition."

Ariel sighed in relief and rested her head on his chest. Eric wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"I have no intention of ever breaking up with you," Eric said.


	68. Chapter 68

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Thomas chuckled at Meg's awkwardness as he unlocked his front door. "No one's home; you don't have to worry about running into John."

"Good."

Once inside, Meg followed Thomas up to his room. She closed the door behind them and sat down on the bed. Thomas sat down next to her and immediately pulled her into a kiss. Meg sighed; it felt so good to kiss Thomas again. Thomas tried breaking the kiss a couple times, but Meg held his head in place, not ready to let go of him. Finally, Thomas gave in and pulled her onto his lap. Meg was still surprised at his strength and how easy it was for him lift her up. Thomas leaned against her and she put her hand on his thigh to keep their balance. Eventually, they had to pull apart to get some air. Thomas rested his forehead on Meg's and she wrapped her arm around his neck.

"Wow," Meg whispered.

"I missed you so much, Meg," Thomas said.

"I missed you, too." Meg kissed him. "Our break up was the hardest thing I've ever had to go through."

Meg kissed Thomas again and again, each kiss more intense than the last. She kissed him as if it was the only thing keeping them together. Meg got caught up in the moment and accidentally bit his bottom lip. Thomas flinched and she quickly pulled away.

"I'm so sorry," Meg said.

Thomas smiled at her. "It's okay. I'm just gonna go get some water. You want anything to drink?"

Meg shook her head as she slid off his lap. After Thomas disappeared in the hallway, Meg sighed and collapsed backwards on the bed. There was light knock on the door and Meg propped herself up on her elbows to get a better view of the doorway. She surprised to see John standing there.

"I didn't know you were home," Meg told him, not knowing what else to say.

"My plans fell through." John closed the door behind him, then crossed his arms as he stood in front of Meg.

Meg sat up and nervously ran her hand through her hair. She couldn't help feeling uncomfortable under his angry glare.

"I don't trust you," John stated. "I don't know what your game is, but I want you to leave Thomas alone."

"I'm not playing a game, John. I _really_ care about Thomas," Meg said.

"Pocahontas seems to think you love him," John said.

Meg smiled in spite of herself. "I _do _love him."

"He loves you, too." John sighed and leaned back against the door. "I don't know what to do."

"John, listen to me," Meg said. "I will _never _intentionally hurt Thomas. He means more to me than anything else in this world and I love him more than I even know how to describe."

The door slowly started opening and John moved out of the way to let Thomas in.

"John? What are you doing in here?" Thomas asked, confused.

"I was just talking to your girlfriend. I underestimated her feelings for you, Thomas." John looked over at Meg. "Meg, I was wrong about you and I'm sorry."

_XXX_

"How did your dad react to you ditching school with me?" Adam asked Belle as they waited to take their turns on the mini golf course.

"At first he was mad," Belle said. "But, I told him everything that happened and he understood. He was also very grateful to you for saving me. He's too proud to admit he was wrong to your face, but he lifted my grounding and gave us his permission to date."

"Part of me wishes he was still trying to keep you away from me," Adam said.

"What? Why?" Belle asked.

"It's too dangerous for you to be with me," Adam said. "You were almost burned to death because of me. Things with my dad are getting out of hand and I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I'm not leaving you," Belle said, stubbornly. She had lost count of how many times Adam had said that to her since the fire the morning before. "I would rather die than live without you."

"I bet that sounds romantic to you, doesn't it?" Adam asked, obviously frustrated with her. "This is serious, Belle. We're not part of some movie where everything works out perfectly in the end." He threw his club on the ground and walked away.

Belle groaned as she picked up his club and went after him. She caught up with him behind the waterfall and grabbed his arm to stop him.

"This may not be a movie, but it's still _our _love story," Belle said. "And I'm not letting anyone take you away from me."

"No one's taking me away from you," Adam said. "_I'm _telling you can't be with me."

"I'm not giving you up without a fight." Belle handed Adam his golf club. She then turned hers around so she was holding it at the bottom. She pointed the handle of her club at Adam and he gave her a confused look.

"What are you doing?" Adam asked.

"Fighting for you," Belle replied. "I challenge to a duel. _If_ you win, _then _you can end this relationship and you'll never see me again. BUT, if _I _win then I get to keep you."

"You're crazy," Adam said. Still, he held his golf club out like it was a sword.

They tapped the handles of their clubs together, then began fencing. It was obvious that Adam was holding back, though Belle wasn't sure if it was because he didn't want to hurt her or because he wanted her to win. The duel had only lasted a couple minutes before Belle was able to knock Adam's club out of his hand and corner him against the plastic stone wall.

"Do you surrender?" Belle asked.

"Never!"

Adam gripped Belle's wrist and snatched her club out of her hand. She grabbed the front of his shirt, pushed him onto the ground and straddled him. She took the club out of his hand and tossed it to the side. Belle then pinned his hands down and leaned over him.

"Do you surrender?"

Adam slid his hands out from under hers. He reached up and pulled her head down, forcing her lips against his. Belle briefly kissed him, then pulled away.

"There's no making out in battle," Belle stated.

Adam smiled at her. "I surrender. I'm yours, Belle."


	69. Chapter 69

_Being grounded sucks, _Rapunzel thought as she sat home alone Sunday morning. She was sitting at the kitchen table reading one of her teen magazines, while waiting for her nails to dry. Once they were dry, she sighed and rested her head on her arms. _I'm so bored! _

Suddenly, a loud thump came from upstairs. Rapunzel slowly raised her head to listen. She could now hear footsteps moving around. Rapunzel quietly stood up and started making her way towards the front door. She stopped short, however, when she heard Max barking. She couldn't leave Max behind. She went back into the kitchen to find some sort of weapon. She heard Max whimpering, so she grabbed the first thing she saw, which happened to be a black frying pan. Rapunzel crept upstairs and followed Max's crying down the hall to her room. She took a deep breath and slowly opened the door. She didn't see anyone at first, so she took a step inside, holding the frying pan out in front of her. As soon as she was completely inside her room, someone grabbed her. She screamed and, without thinking, turned around and hit them in the head with the frying pan. It wasn't until he fell to the floor that she realized it was Flynn.

"Flynn!" Rapunzel dropped the frying pan and knelt down beside her boyfriend. "Flynn, wake up!"

Flynn groaned and slowly rolled over onto his back. "Surprise," he muttered.

"I'm _so _sorry," Rapunzel said. "I thought you were an intruder. I heard Max barking and whimpering and I thought he was hurt."

Flynn sat up. "Your dog hates me."

Rapunzel nodded; she couldn't deny that. For some reason, Max and Flynn just didn't get along.

"What are you doing here?" Rapunzel asked.

"I'm busting you out," Flynn replied.

"Baby, I'm grounded. I can't leave," Rapunzel said.

"Is your mom home?" Flynn asked.

"Well, no. She had some errands to run. But, I'm a terrible liar; she'll totally catch me," Rapunzel said.

"Oh, come on, Rapunzel, rebel a little," Flynn said.

Rapunzel nibbled on her bottom lip. "I guess I could go out for a little while. As long as I'm back before she gets home."

Rapunzel and Flynn climbed out her window and walked down the street, where Flynn had parked his car. They drove to Main Street and Flynn parked in one of the main parking lots. They got out and started heading towards Mickey's.

"I'm glad I did this," Rapunzel said. "Why should I be a goodie two-shoes all the time?"

Flynn laughed. As they walked down the street, they passed a salon. Flynn suddenly stopped. "How rebellious are you feeling?"

Rapunzel pulled her long blonde hair over shoulder and started playing with it. "Not that rebellious."

"You don't have to shave your head," Flynn said. "Just get a little trim."

"I don't know, Flynn. I've never had a hair cut before."

Flynn shrugged and walked into the salon. Rapunzel frowned and followed him.

About an hour later, they came out of the salon. Rapunzel now had short, layered hair and she had it dyed brown.

"Have I ever told you I have a thing for brunettes?" Flynn asked.

Rapunzel laughed and playfully punched his shoulder.

"I mean it, Rapunzel. You look great," Flynn said.

"Really?" Rapunzel ran her hand through her hair. It would definitely take some getting used to.

Flynn took Rapunzel home and her heart started racing when she saw her mom's car in the driveway.

_Here we go..._

Rapunzel slowly got out of the car and walked up to the front door. She reached out to grab the doorknob, but the door flung open. Her mother stood in the doorway with a look of horror on her face. She grabbed Rapunzel's arm and pulled her into the house, slamming the door behind them.

Her mother crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Rapunzel. Rapunzel knew she must have been quite the sight with her short brown hair and blue nail polish; not her normal look. Her mother sighed as if she had been defeated.

"Clearly grounding you is not enough to keep you away from that boy," Rapunzel's mother said. "So, I'm lifting your grounding."

"You are...?" Rapunzel asked, carefully. "What's the catch?"

"Rapunzel, you need to know that everything has a consequence," her mother said. "I've decided that instead of grounding you now, I'm going to punish you by sending you to stay with your grandmother in Wyoming all summer."

_XXX_

Jasmine was still sleeping when there was a light knock on her bedroom door. Startled, her eyes flew open, but she immediately closed them again.

"Come in."

"Miss Jasmine, Esmeralda is downstairs," one of the servants said.

Jasmine didn't recognize his voice and tried to remember his name, but couldn't. She groaned. "Send her up."

When the servant left, Jasmine went into her adjoined bathroom and brushed her teeth. When she came back into her room, Esmeralda was sitting on the floor, petting Raja. Jasmine got back in bed and pulled the sheet up over her shoulders.

"I'm kinda surprise to see you here," Jasmine said. "I thought you were mad at me."

"Jasmine, I came over to apologize. I shouldn't have treated you the way I did and I'm sorry," Esmeralda said, sitting down on the bed.

"Then why did you?" Jasmine asked.

"I was just mad. And hurt." Esmeralda paused. "But, mostly I was scared. Having my parents know meant I had to face this and accept that I have a problem. I wasn't ready to admit that."

Jasmine gave her best friend a small smile. "I forgive you." She patted the bed and Esmeralda lied down next to her. "How are you doing now?"

"Good," Esmeralda replied. "I haven't thrown up in a while. Mulan has been pretty tough on me."

Jasmine laughed. "Good. Glad to hear it. Have you talked to Phoebus, yet?"

Esmeralda nodded. "Mulan tricked us into seeing each other on Friday."

Jasmine snuggled up further under her blanket and closed her eyes. "I like Mulan."

Raja meowed and jumped on the bed with a small thud. He slipped under the sheet and curled up between Jasmine and Esmeralda. He started purring and Jasmine pet his head. Jasmine didn't know why she was so sleepy today. It was a nice day outside and the sun was shining, but all she wanted to do was sleep. She could hear Esmeralda's breathing start to become even and she knew her friend was sleeping. Jasmine sighed and it wasn't long until she fell asleep, too.

_XXX_

"I'm so glad we did this," Aurora said as she and Belle rode their horses down the trail.

"Me too," Belle agreed. "It's been a while."

The girls decided they weren't going to talk about what happened Friday morning and they were just going to have a normal Sunday morning.

"Are you still coming with Philip and me to No Cal to visit my mom this summer?" Aurora asked.

Belle nodded. "Of course."

"I was thinking, if you wanted, Adam could come too," Aurora suggested.

Belle's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah. I don't want you to feel like a third wheel," Aurora said. "I already talked to my mom and she's totally cool with it. Her house is definitely big enough."

"Thank you, Aurora. I'll ask him next time I talk to him," Belle said.

"I already got mine and Philip's plane tickets," Aurora said. "We're leaving pretty early in the morning on June 9th. That's only six weeks from now."

Belle nodded. "All right. I'll ask him tonight so we can book our flight soon."

Aurora squealed in excitement. "This summer is going to be so much fun! I can't wait! You and I are gonna have to go shopping for new bikinis and clothes."

Belle giggled. "Didn't you just get new clothes and swim suits?"

"For Spring Break. I can't wear my Spring Break clothes during the summer," Aurora said as if she was explaining something important.

"Well, I hope our summer vacation is better than Spring Break," Belle said.

Aurora bit her lip. "Belle?"

"Yeah?"

"Has Adam hit you or anything since that day at the beach?" Aurora asked, carefully.

"No. Actually, Adam wanted to break up with me. He says it's too dangerous," Belle replied. "But I can't leave him, Aurora. I love him and I don't want him to have to face all of this alone."

"I understand," Aurora said. "If the situation was reversed and it was Philip, I would do the same thing."


	70. Chapter 70

"I can't believe Eric did that to you," Charlotte said as she pulled a top off the rack and held it in front of her to get Ariel's opinion. Ariel shook her head and Charlotte put the shirt back on the rack. "That seems kind of extreme." 

Ariel sighed. "It worked, though. I faced my fear and got the solo."

"Well, yeah, but now you have to sing a solo in front of _everyone._"

Ariel nibbled on her lower lip. "I know. But, Eric thinks I really need this to get rid of my insecurities and boost my self-esteem."

"He's right, of course, but he could have gone about it differently," Charlotte said. She gave up on trying to find a new shirt and the girls walked out of the store.

"Yeah," Ariel agreed. "I wish he hadn't pushed me to do it before I was ready."

"Oh, please! You'll never feel like you're ready," Charlotte said. "I just meant he shouldn't have threatened to break up with you. Scaring you into facing your fear probably _isn't _the best approach." She thought for moment. "Although, I suppose that's the _only _way to get you to do something that's outside of your comfort zone. For a shy person, you're pretty stubborn."

As the girls walked through the mall they realized all the stores were closing up. Charlotte cursed under breath, obviously forgetting the mall closed early on Sundays. They headed outside and started walking across the parking lot to Charlotte's car.

"Charlotte!"

The girls turned around to find who called Charlotte. They spotted John Rolfe and Robert a row over walking towards them. Charlotte's face lit up when she saw her boyfriend.

"Johnny!" Charlotte cried as she jumped on him. She kissed the tip of his nose and he smiled at her.

"What are you two up to?" Rolfe asked as he set Charlotte down.

"Just hangin' out," Charlotte said. "What about you?"

"Robert and I are going to see The Cabin in the Woods," Rolfe replied.

"Wanna get together afterwards?" Charlotte asked.

"Sorry, babe; it's guys' night," Rolfe said. "But, I'm all yours after school tomorrow."

"All right, see ya tomorrow." Charlotte kissed Rolfe and watched him walk away.

"How are things going with you guys?" Ariel asked.

Charlotte sighed. "Great! He's so wonderful!"

Ariel was still apprehensive about Charlotte's relationship with Rolfe since they were moving so fast, but she didn't say anything to Charlotte. Ariel knew Charlotte wouldn't listen and would just get upset at her.

_XXX_

"Esmeralda?"

Esmeralda slowly opened her eyes and saw Phoebus standing over her. She smiled at him, then frowned in confusion. She had fallen asleep in Jasmine's bed, what was Phoebus doing there? Esmeralda tried to sit up, but Raja was laying on her hair and she couldn't move her head.

"Oh, good, you're awake," Phoebus said. "Jasmine needs us downstairs."

"What's going on?" Esmeralda asked as she reached up to move Raja.

"Not sure," Phoebus replied. "Jasmine invited me and Aladdin over and said she had a surprise for all of us."

Phoebus lied down next to Esmeralda. She rolled over and put her arm over him.

"I miss sleeping next to you," Esmeralda said.

"Do you want to stay the night at my house tonight?" Phoebus asked.

Esmeralda frowned. "I can't. My parents want to keep an eye on me, so I'm not allowed to sleepover at anyone's house."

"Are they still going to make you go to rehab this summer?"

"I guess. They gave me an ultimatum; they said either I'd have to go to rehab or quit the dance team," Esmeralda said.

"Or stop throwing up after you eat," Phoebus added.

"Easier said than done," Esmeralda muttered.

Phoebus stood up and looked down at Esmeralda. "You're gonna be fine, babe. You have a whole support team behind you who are here to help you. Now, let's go downstairs and find out what Jasmine's surprise is."

Esmeralda dragged herself out of bed and the two of them went downstairs, where Jasmine and Aladdin were waiting for them. Jasmine smiled at them as they sat down on the opposite side of the sectional sofa. Phoebus put his arm around Esmeralda and it was all she could do not to curl up in his lap and go back to sleep.

"All right, girl, spill," Esmeralda said to Jasmine.

Jasmine's smile got bigger and she held up an envelope. "My dad feels bad about what happened at lunch that day. So, to make up for it, he sent me four tickets to the premiere of his new movie. I want all of you to go with me!"

_XXX_

After watching the sunset together Sunday night, Pocahontas and John walked through the woods towards the willow tree. As they walked down the trail, Pocahontas saw a girl handing out flyers to everyone who passed her. As they got closer to her, Pocahontas recognized her as Crysta, the girl who had come into her work with the petition to save the woods.

"Hi, Crysta," Pocahontas said

"Hi," Crysta greeted as she handed each of them a flyer. "They're going to start cutting down these trees on Saturday. I'm trying to organize a protest with everyone from Camelot and Andalasia."

Pocahontas glanced down at the flyer. "We'll be there."

"Thank you. We need everyone we can get," Crysta said.

Pocahontas and John continued on to the willow tree and set up the blanket in their usual spot.

"Why did you tell her that _we _would be at the protest?" John asked.

"Because we will be," Pocahontas replied.

"Pocahontas, I can't go to this," John said. "We could get in a lot of trouble for protesting like this."

"But, we have to, John. They're going to destroy all of these trees," Pocahontas said. "Including this one."

"Babe, even if we did go, it wouldn't make a difference. They've already made up their minds and we can't stop them," John said.

"We still have to try," Pocahontas insisted. "If we get enough people to go, they'll _have_ to listen to us."

"How do you suggest we do that?" John asked.

"Make an announcement about it at school tomorrow," Pocahontas said. "You're vice president; you're allowed to do that, aren't you?"

"I'd have to go through Philip and Principal Clayton first."

"Please, John?"

John looked around. "It _would _be a shame to lose this tree. I'll bring it up at the student council meeting tomorrow after school."

Pocahontas wrapped her arms around John. "Thank you!"


	71. Chapter 71

"I heard your boyfriend got the best of Hercules."

Meg looked up from her locker to see Hades standing next to her. She wasn't particularly happy to see him, but since Hercules was the one who usually found her after school she was somewhat relieved it was Hades instead.

"Yeah he did," Meg said. "And his name is Thomas."

Hades shrugged. "I don't care if Tinker Bell did it; as long as _someone _put him in his place."

Hades ran his hand through his hair and Meg noticed the cigarette tucked behind his ear. Hades seemed to think school rules no longer applied once the final bell rang.

"You're not supposed to have cigarettes on school property," Meg said.

Hades gave her a look that told her he thought what she had just said was the dumbest thing he ever heard and Meg rolled her eyes.

"There's only five weeks left of school; getting kicked out now would just be stupid," Meg stated.

"Fine. I'll go across the street." Hades tried to make it sound like he was doing her a favor, but he knew she was right.

Meg slung her backpack over her shoulder and followed Hades outside. Once they were off campus, Hades lit his cigarette.

"So, how are things with Gothel?" Meg asked.

Hades took a drag off his cigarette. "Fine. She's kinda twisted, but she puts out."

Normally a statement like that would bother Meg, but she was used to Hades' rude comments and she knew, in his head, that was actually a compliment.

"You know who I would actually like to get with is Villain Barbie," Hades continued.

Meg made a face. "Never gonna happen. She loves Gaston."

Hades shrugged as he took another drag. "I'm not talking about getting into a relationship with her. I just want to get into those tight little jeans of hers."

Meg groaned. "I'm so done with this conversation."

"Oh, please. Don't pretend you're Miss Virtue, Nutmeg. I know all about what you did with Hercules over Spring Break," Hades scoffed.

"What the hell!" Meg couldn't keep her voice from going up a couple octaves. "I didn't do _anything _with Hercules."

Hades gave her a mocking look. "Right."

"I didn't," Meg said, flatly. "Hercules made the whole thing up."

"I don't know how things between you two got this way," Hades said, flicking ash on the ground. "You guys were good together."

"Oh my God! I _really _don't want to talk about me and Hercules," Meg snapped. "I love Thomas and I no longer care about Hercules."

"And why don't you care about him anymore?" Hades asked.

"Because he's a jerk."

Hades let out a short laugh. "He's a guy."

Meg shook her head. "No. He can't cop out behind that lame excuse. Thomas is a guy, too, but he never acts like that. And why are you defending Hercules? I thought you hated him."

Hades flicked his cigarette butt out in front of him. "I'm not defending him. I honestly don't care about your relationship problems. I was just trying to keep the conversation going so I had something to do until I was done smoking."

With that Hades turned and walked away.

_XXX_

Belle stared blankly at the cover of her Edgar Allan Poe book. They were no longing reading his work in English, but Belle still carried the book around for sentimental reasons. It was, technically, what had brought her and Adam together. Normally today she would be tutoring Adam, but he hadn't come to school that day.

The chair across the table from Belle moved and she looked up. Tiana and Jane were standing in front of her and they slowly sat down at the table. Jane smiled sadly at Belle and Tiana reached over to take Belle's hands in hers.

"Are you all right?" Tiana asked.

"Yes," Belle replied.

"What happened on Friday?" Jane asked, hesitantly.

"Oh. It was just a small fire," Belle said. "No big deal."

Belle wanted to downplay the whole incident so everyone would forget about it. She didn't want any of the other students digging too deep into what happen and finding out about Adam's dad. Though, Belle still believed Adam should tell the police what his dad did, that was up to Adam to decide and it was best to keep his secret for as long as possible.

Tiana and Jane exchanged glances, then looked back at Belle.

"That's not what we heard," Tiana said.

"What did you hear?" Belle asked.

"We heard you were in the tree house while it was on fire and Adam saved you," Jane said.

"Oh. Well, yeah, that happened," Belle said.

Jane's eyes lit up a little. "That's so romantic!"

Tiana rolled her eyes at Jane. "We're glad you're okay, Belle."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Belle said. "But I really need to get my homework done, so..."

"Of course," Tiana said, standing up.

Jane made no attempt to get up. Jane was a hopeless romantic and Belle knew she was waiting to hear more about Adam's heroic rescue. Tiana grabbed Jane's hand and pulled her to her feet.

"I'll call you later," Jane told Belle as Tiana dragged her away from the table.

Belle watched her friends leave the library, then looked back down at her book. She wondered if she and Adam would ever get to have a normal relationship like Jane had with Tarzan and Tiana with Naveen; a relationship without fear. Belle sighed and ran her fingers over the cover of the book.

"And this maiden she lived with no other thought than to love and be loved by me."

Belle quickly looked up to see Adam standing over her, holding a rose. He handed the rose to Belle as he sat down next to her.

"I was a child and she was a child in this kingdom by the sea," Adam continued. "But we loved with a love that was more than love- I and my Anna_-belle _Lee."

Belle felt herself become teary-eyed. Her breath caught in her throat and she was completely speechless. Her heart was racing when Adam leaned forward lightly kissed her lips.

"I'm so happy to see you," Belle said quietly, not knowing what else to say. "When you didn't come to school I got worried."

"I wasn't ready to deal with everybody asking me about Friday," Adam said. "But, I wasn't going to miss our session."

Belle smiled at her boyfriend. "Well, your poem memorization was perfect. However, we're no longer studying Edgar Allan Poe in English."

Adam pretended to be disappointed. "Does that mean you wouldn't be interested in seeing The Raven with me this weekend?"

Belle looked down at her rose. "No. I'd love to."

Adam pushed Belle's hair back and pulled her into another kiss. Belle gripped the stem of her rose, ignoring the thorns as they pricked her skin.

_A/N: I do not own the poem "Annabel Lee". It belongs to Edgar Allan Poe._


	72. Chapter 72

"We need to do something big for prom this year," Charlotte said as soon as the dance committee meeting started.

"I agree," Cinderella said. "For most of the juniors this is our first prom; it should be special."

Rapunzel nodded. "What did you have in mind?"

"We were hoping _you _would have an idea, Rapunzel," Wendy said. "The Sadie Hawkins Red and White Ball was a huge success."

Rapunzel blushed a little. "Well, I kind of have an idea."

"What is it?" Wendy asked excitedly.

"I was thinking it would be fun to have a masquerade ball," Rapunzel said. "And maybe we could decorate the ballroom at the hotel with Chinese-type lanterns. And at the end of night, everybody releases the lanterns into the sky and removes their masks."

Giselle sighed. "It's sounds magical."

"How wonderful!" Snow White said.

"I don't know," John said. "If everyone is wearing a mask, wouldn't it get confusing? How will we know who's who?"

"That's the point!" Rapunzel said, getting excited. "It'll be a night of mystery and magic."

"And romance!" Snow White added.

"What night do we have the ballroom reserved?" Cinderella asked.

Philip flipped through some of his papers. "Saturday, May 26th."

Wendy squealed. "That's only four and a half week from now."

"It's the last Saturday before school gets out," Philip said.

"Oh, Rapunzel, this is a great idea!" Charlotte exclaimed. "Everyone is going to love it!"

Rapunzel twirled her hair around her finger as she thought about some of the finer details of the planning. "We should emphasize that it is _forma_l attire and _not _a costume ball."

Cinderella nodded as she jotted down some notes. Cinderella was the most organized person on the committee and even though Rapunzel was the head of the committee, Cinderella was the one who held it all together.

"I'll call around after school today for a place to get the lanterns," Cinderella said as she wrote a reminder on the back of her hand.

"I still don't like the idea," John muttered.

"John, you don't like the idea of prom period," Charlotte said, rolling her eyes. "I bet you don't have a romantic bone in your body. No wonder Pocahontas chose Rolfe over you."

John didn't say anything; he just glared at her, and then stormed out of the classroom. Rapunzel quickly got up and went after him. She found him sitting against the wall just outside the classroom. Rapunzel sat down next him and looked up at him.

"Don't listen to Charlotte," Rapunzel said. "You know she's just biased because she's dating Rolfe now."

John shook his head. "She's right, Rapunzel. I don't think I've ever really gone out of my way to do something romantic for Pocahontas."

"Prom is an important time for us girls," Rapunzel said. "We'll always remember the night and how we were asked. Asking Pocahontas to the prom is the perfect opportunity for you to do something that's over the top romantic."

"Will you help me?" John asked.

Rapunzel was momentarily taken aback; John rarely ever asked anyone for help. "Of course."

_XXX_

"All right, everyone, just one more thing before you go," Mrs. Rabbit said towards the end of choir that afternoon. "The solo for our final concert this year goes to..." She paused. "Ariel!"

Everyone applauded and Ariel blushed. She looked around as everyone near her congratulated her and her eyes fell on Snow White who was glaring at her. Ariel suddenly felt uncomfortable and dropped her eyes to the floor. When Mrs. Rabbit dismissed them, Ariel hurried out of the room and made her way to her locker. She quickly shoved her homework into her backpack and closed her locker. When she turned around, she was suddenly face to face with Snow White. Snow White smiled sweetly at her. It was the smile that everyone _else_ thought was sincere, but it made Ariel uneasy.

"Hi, Snow White," Ariel said quietly.

Snow White didn't say anything; she just continued to smile at her. Ariel gave her a small, forced smile and tried walking away, but Snow White put her arm out, blocking her path.

"That solo is _always _mine," Snow White stated. "Why did you even audition?"

Ariel bit her lip. "I wanted the solo."

Snow White's smile faded. "Back out of the solo, Ariel. Or I promise I will make you regret it."

Ariel watched Snow White walk away and then she slumped back against her locker. Normally, Ariel wouldn't be afraid of Snow White, but she was friends with Vanessa now and Vanessa scared Ariel. _Why did I let Eric push me into this? _Ariel thought. _This solo is causing more stress than it's worth. _

Ariel pushed herself off the locker and started walking down the hallway. Her dad was waiting for her outside and she got into his car.

"How was school?" Triton asked as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Fine."

_XXX_

That night Aurora and Philip went on a double date to the movies with Ariel and Eric. Of course, the boys had picked the movie and now, as the four of them walked out of the theater, the two of them were talking excitedly about it. Aurora and Ariel followed their boyfriends across the parking lot to their cars. Eric and Philip stood in front of Philip's car and continued their discussion of the movie. Aurora pulled herself onto the trunk of Philip's car and Ariel joined her.

"You've been awfully quiet tonight," Aurora said. "Well… quieter than usual."

"I'm just tired," Ariel said.

Aurora glanced at her and raised an eyebrow. She didn't know Ariel very well, but she could tell there was something bothering her.

"Look, Ariel, I know we're not best friends or anything, but if you ever want to talk, I'm here," Aurora said.

"Thanks." Ariel started to say something else, but then stopped.

"I know there's something on your mind," Aurora said carefully. "Is it Eric?"

"No!" Ariel said quickly. "Well, at least, it's not him _directly_."

"What happened?"

"Eric pushed me into auditioning for the solo in choir and I got it," Ariel said.

"That's great!"

Ariel shook her head. "Not really. I mean, Snow White _always _gets the solo and now she's upset with me. She told me if I don't back out she's going to make me regret it."

Aurora stifled a laugh. "What is _Snow White _going to do? Talking at you endlessly with that annoying voice until you give in?"

"Snow White probably won't do anything," Ariel said. "But, she's friends with Vanessa and I know Vanessa will do something. She _lives _for torturing people."

"So, let her," Aurora said.

"What?"

"Vanessa tortures people because she gets off on causing other people misery. If you act like it doesn't bother you, then it won't be fun for her," Aurora explained. "Plus, this is only high school. Who cares what anybody here thinks of you? Technically, we only have, like, ten months left of high school. Then we're never gonna see these people again. It's not the end of the world if you get humiliated in high school."

"But, I don't want to get bullied," Ariel said.

"Ariel, I'm sure Vanessa has better things to do than doing Snow White's bidding," Aurora said. "Besides, I heard Vanessa was only friends with Snow White because Gothel was no longer around. But, now Vanessa's hanging out with Meg again so maybe Vanessa and Snow White aren't even friends anymore."

"Maybe..." Ariel didn't sound convinced.

"Don't get yourself worked up over something that could be nothing," Aurora said. "In the end, no matter what they do to you, you're still going to have the solo and Snow White won't. Ultimately, you win either way."


	73. Chapter 73

The turn-out at the protest wasn't really what Pocahontas had been expecting. There were way more people there than she thought there would be. Most of them were students from Andalasia and Camelot, with some parents and younger kids. Pocahontas scanned the crowd. She spotted Crysta talking to a couple people and she started walking over to her. When Crysta saw her, she greeted her with a smile. 

"Hi, Pocahontas! I'm so glad you made it," Crysta said.

"I wouldn't miss it," Pocahontas said. She continued to look around, but didn't see John anywhere. She should have known he wouldn't come.

"Excuse me," Crysta said to Pocahontas.

Crysta hurried over to a small platform and hushed the crowd. When everyone's attention was on her, she started talking.

"The bulldozer should be here any minute!" Crysta announced. "They won't listen to me, but they'll have to listen to all of us! Together we can save these woods, but we have to stand our ground! Don't back down, no matter what!"

The crowd started cheering and Pocahontas clapped along with them. Within a few minutes, a jeep pulled into the clearing and a couple men wearing suits stepped out. Much to Pocahontas' surprise, John was with them.

"Pocahontas, isn't that the boy you were with the other day?" Crysta asked.

Pocahontas nodded, but couldn't say anything as she watched John and the other men walk over to the platform. John spotted Pocahontas and winked at her, but she just continued to stare at him.

"Listen up, everyone!" John said. "After learning about the plans to tear down these woods, I did some research of my own. It turns out that with these woods acting as a border between Andalasia and Camelot, it is not technically located in either town, and so neither town-even in an agreement- can do anything with it. Also, these woods act as the county borderline, as well. So, it is not in either county. In a situation like this, the matter would have to be taken up with the state, and it was not."

John stepped down from the platform and one of the men in suits stepped forward.

"In light of what this young man brought forward, we will not be attempting to bulldoze these woods," the man said.

This was met with cheers and applause from the crowd. Pocahontas ran over to John and flung her arms around his neck.

"Thank you," she said to him.

_XXX_

Belle hugged her pillow to her chest as she walked up the sidewalk to Jane's front door. Jane and Tiana thought it would be best for Belle if she had a night in with just her girlfriends; no boys and no drama. Belle rang the doorbell and Jane immediately answered the door. She was wearing blue pajama pants with monkeys on it and a matching tank top.

"Yay! You're here!" Jane cried excitedly as she pulled Belle into a hug.

"Hey, girl," Tiana greeted as Belle walked inside. Tiana was wearing a faded, green jersey-style long sleeved shirt with short green shorts.

"Hi." Belle suddenly felt over dressed in her jeans and t-shirt.

"Ah, Belle, you're here; just in time." Jane's father, Mr. Porter, came into the living room from the kitchen. "I made mini pizzas."

Belle smiled at Mr. Porter. "Those are my favorite."

"I know," Mr. Porter replied. "You girls go on up to Jane's room; I'll bring your snacks up."

"Thanks, Daddy!" Jane said as the girls walked upstairs.

Once they were in Jane's room, Belle unpacked her pajamas then went across the hall to change in the bathroom. When she came out of the bathroom, she ran into Jane's dad.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Mr. Porter."

"It's quite all right," he said. He then gave Belle a sympathetic look. "Belle, I heard about the fire. How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine," Belle replied. "No one was hurt; it was more… scary than anything else."

Mr. Porter nodded. "Of course."

Belle gave him a reassuring smile and the two of them went into Jane's room. Mr. Porter set the mini pizzas and three cans of Sprite on Jane's desk, then left the girls alone. Belle picked up a mini pizza, then sat down on the bed next to Jane and Tiana.

"I know we're supposed to be having a boys-free night and I'm not supposed to ask about the fire, but I have to know: what _was_ it like to have Adam rescue you like that?"

"Jane..." Tiana shot Jane a warning look.

"Hey! I wouldn't have to be bringing this up right now if Belle had returned my calls this week," Jane said, defensively.

"It's okay," Belle said. "Honestly, I don't really know. I was kind of in shock by the whole thing. I thought Philip was the one who pulled me out since I hadn't seen Adam and I knew Philip had gone after me. When I actually found out it was Adam, I was so relieved that he was okay that I couldn't think of anything else."

"Adam had been in the treehouse when it caught fire, right?" Tiana asked.

Belle nodded. "Yeah."

"And you went into the burning treehouse to save him..." Jane sighed. "It's so romantic. It's like when Rose jumped back onto the sinking Titanic to be with Jack."

Tiana raised an eyebrow at Jane. Tiana was more of a realist than a hopeless romantic. "I don't think it's really like that."

Jane blushed. "It sort of is. I mean, granted, Rose did it because she couldn't live without him, not to rescue him. But, that's the same kind of relationship Belle and Adam have. I bet Belle would do the same thing. Belle risked her life, knowing it was possible that they could both end up dying, just so she could get to him. And then he in turn saved her." She sighed again. "They should really make a movie about you two."

_XXX_

Jasmine pulled her car up in front of Flynn's house. She looked up at the house and nervously tapped her fingers on her steering wheel. Naturally, she couldn't shake her concerns about Aladdin and Sadira so she decided to talk to Flynn and get his advice. Aladdin and Flynn had been good friends for a while and if anyone would be honest with her about everything it would be Flynn.

A sudden knock on her window made Jasmine jump. She quickly turned and saw Flynn standing outside the driver's door. Jasmine turned off her car and got out.

"Your stalking flatters me," Flynn said. "But, I have a girlfriend."

Jasmine let out a nervous laugh. "I wasn't stalking you. I came to talk to you."

"I was just about to go for a walk; why don't you join me?" Flynn offered.

Jasmine nodded and the two of them started on their walk.

"So, what's on your mind?" Flynn asked.

"Aladdin. He's moving when school gets out," Jasmine replied. "And it turns out he's gonna be going to school and working with his ex-girlfriend, Sadira."

Flynn nodded. "I see your concern; they were pretty serious about each other for a while. He even thought about proposing to her once we graduated-"

Jasmine frowned. "Flynn Rider, you are _not_ helping."

Flynn laughed. "Relax. Things ended badly and Aladdin can't even stand to be around her."

"How did it end?" Jasmine asked, realizing Aladdin had never told her exactly what caused him to break up with her.

"Well, they don't call her a witch for no reason. Actually, more precisely, she's known as the _sand _witch," Flynn said. When he saw the confused look Jasmine was giving him, he continued. "She was caught cheating on Aladdin on the beach. Aladdin caught them one night after they had made plans to meet up there. When he got there he saw her hooking up with some college guy in the sand."

"Poor Aladdin. That must have been really hard," Jasmine said.

Flynn nodded. "He was pretty upset about it, but mostly he was just angry. As far as I know, he hasn't talked to her since then."

"Do you think me and Aladdin will make it after he moves?" Jasmine asked.

"I don't know," Flynn said. "I hope so; if the two of you can't make it, it doesn't give the rest of much hope."


	74. Chapter 74

Esmeralda leaned back on Phoebus' front porch steps and let the sun beat down on her. It was only the end of April, but the weather was already starting to heat up. Just another pleasant reminder that school would be ending in a few weeks. Esmeralda was already counting down: only twenty-five school days left. And, thanks to Mulan's help, Esmeralda finally reached her goal weight and she had set up a couple modeling gigs with Maleficent for the summer. Not to mention, she would be able to spend the majority with Phoebus. Things were finally falling into place. It had been a rough semester, but the summer promised to be much better. 

"Hey, guys!"

Esmeralda propped herself up on her elbows and smiled at Mulan as she approached them. "Hey, girl!"

"Hi, Mulan," Phoebus said.

"What are you two up to?" Mulan asked.

Esmeralda shrugged. "Absolutely nothing and it's awesome."

Phoebus laughed. "My mom is making dinner and we're just waiting for her to finish up."

"Spaghetti and meatballs?" Mulan guessed.

Phoebus nodded. "Of course! That's all she knows how to make."

Phoebus and Mulan started laughing. Esmeralda rolled her eyes at her easily amused friends and couldn't help laughing at them.

The three of them stopped abruptly, however, when they saw Kayley and her mom, Juliana, walking by. Juliana's eyes were red and puffy and Kayley was crying. Mulan rushed over to them.

"Kayley, what's wrong?" Mulan asked.

"My d-dad was deployed a f-few weeks ago..." Kayley paused and took a deep breath as more tears fell down her cheeks. "And he was shot."

"Is he gonna be all right?" Mulan asked.

Kayley shook her head. Mulan immediately pulled her friend into a big hug. Esmeralda and Phoebus got up and walked over to her.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry," Esmeralda said soothingly, stroking Kayley's hair.

"How are you holding up, Juliana?" Phoebus asked.

"I don't know. We just found out; it's still sinking in," Juliana said. "But, they already want us to start making arrangements."

If hadn't been for her puffy eyes that suggested she had been crying, Esmeralda wouldn't have known that Juliana was upset at all about the death of her ex husband. She seemed so calm and together. Juliana put her arm around Kayley's shoulders and they walked away.

Mulan stared after them, then looked at Esmeralda and Phoebus. "Sometimes it's easy to forget any one of our father's could be gone so quickly."

Phoebus nodded, but didn't say anything. Esmeralda reached out and took his hand.

"I'm gonna go home and spend some time with my dad," Mulan said. She then turned and ran off.

"Did you know Kayley's dad?" Esmeralda asked Phoebus as they walked back over to his porch.

"I met him a couple times, but I didn't really _know _him," Phoebus replied.

"Phoebus, honey, dinner's ready!" Phoebus' mom called out through the screen door.

"Come on, let's finishing enjoying the rest of our weekend," Phoebus said as he led Esmeralda inside.

_XXX_

Meg stepped off the stationary bike and dabbed her neck with her towel. Her parents had promised to get her a gym membership at the end of the semester if she kept her grades up, but since the gym by their house was offering a special her parents got her the membership that weekend. Commander Rourke's gym was two stories and had every fitness machine you could think of. She got the membership yesterday and spent nine hours using all the machines. She definitely felt it in the morning and decided she would take it easy today.

Meg was walking towards the treadmills when she saw one of them was occupied by a familiar blonde. Meg watched her long braid bounce back and forth as she ran on the treadmill. Meg glared at her back and decided to use an elliptical machine instead. She started walking passed the treadmills and as she passed Helga's treadmill, she looked down at her iPod, pretending to be occupied by searching for a song.

"Wow, Meg, you're really pathetic."

Meg turned and shot Helga a dirty look. "What are you talking about?"

Helga stopped her treadmill and got off. "It's so obvious why you're here."

Meg looked around. "You mean to work out? Yeah, this _is _a gym."

Helga rolled her eyes. "Please. Everyone knows this is the gym where Hercules works out. I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't stalk my boyfriend."

Meg had known that, but honestly forgot. She had come here a couple times with him, but hadn't been there since they broke up.

"You're kidding, right?" Meg asked. "This is the closet gym to my house; which, coincidentally, happens to be only a couple block from Hercules' house. So, no, you're right; there's no other reason I would be working out at the same gym as Hercules except that I'm stalking him."

Helga was obviously not amused my Meg's sarcasm. "Stay away from him."

"Oh my God! Open your eyes, Helga!" Meg snapped. "I'm _trying _to stay away from him, but he keeps coming after me. No matter what I do, he just keeps coming back; he's like a cockroach."

"I'm not falling for your act, Meg," Helga said. "I know you still like Hercules and I know the only reason you hate me is because I have him and you don't."

Meg felt her mouth drop open. "The _only _reason...? Are you out of your mind? What about you telling my boyfriend to kill himself? Or pushing me down a set of bleachers? And, not to mention, you spreading a rumor that you hooked up with my friend's boyfriend."

"It's very simple; you leave my boyfriend alone and I'll leave you alone," Helga said.

"Tell your boyfriend to leave _me _alone."

"You are _not _a desirable girl, Meg. Why would Hercules even want you over me?"

"Maybe because I'm not a bitch and I don't treat other people like crap in order to make myself feel good," Meg snapped.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Helga stated.

"I think I do. Ya know, it's funny how you don't have any real friends and your boyfriend keeps going after another girl," Meg said. "I wonder why that is..."

Helga stormed over to Meg until she was only inches from her. Meg held her ground and glared at her.

"I may not have a lot of friends, but I still run the school and I-"

"For now," Meg interrupted. "You run the school for now. But, you're graduating in a month and then you'll no longer have any power over anyone."


	75. Chapter 75

Aurora hurried to Philip's locker before lunch. He had his foot resting on the bottom of the locker and his backpack was balancing on his knee. He was pulling his books from his morning classes out of his backpack and replacing them with the books for his afternoon classes.

"Hi, Philip!" Aurora greeted.

"Hey, hon." Philip leaned over and kissed her cheek, then zipped up his back pack.

Aurora stepped back so Philip could close his locker. "There's something I want to talk to you about."

"What's that?" Philip asked, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.

"Your birthday."

"What about it?"

"Well, it's on Friday."

"And...?"

"I think you should have a party Saturday night."

"I don't know, Aurora. It's kind of last minute."

"Oh, come on, Philip! It'll be fun!"

"I'm not saying it wouldn't be," Philip said. "I just don't know if I can pull it off."

"Aren't your parents gonna be gone this weekend?" Aurora immediately regretted bringing that up. Philip hadn't been in the best of moods since he found out his parents were planning on being away for his birthday. "I'm sorry, Philip."

"It's fine." Philip put his arm around Aurora. "I think a party would be a good idea. It'll be nice to not be stuck in an empty house all weekend."

"Did someone say 'party'?" Eric asked coming up behind them.

"Philip is throwing a party Saturday night for his birthday," Aurora told him.

"Awesome! I'll let everyone know."

Before Philip could stop him, Eric was gone. As Aurora and Philip stood in line to get their lunch, Aurora watched Eric go from table to table talking to everyone in the junior class. Most of the people he talked to seemed to get excited and Aurora couldn't help getting excited, too. They were over due for a party. Everyone was already starting to get summer fever and it would be nice to have something to get their minds off school and get a taste of the summer.

No doubt word of Philip's party would be out by the end of lunch.

"Looks like you're definitely having this party," Aurora said.

Philip nodded. "There's no going back now."

_XXX_

Mrs. Rabbit insisted on Ariel practicing her solo in front of the whole choir that afternoon after school. Ariel was more than nervous, but she focused on getting through song. Even though she knew the song, she brought the sheet music up with her and kept glancing down at it in order to avoid making eye contact with anyone.

Eventually, though, Ariel got caught up in the song and stopped using the sheet music. As she neared the end of the song, and the hardest note she had to hit, her eyes met Snow White's. Snow White mouthed the word _choke _and then smiled sweetly at her. Ariel tried to ignore her, but she couldn't help getting nervous again and when she tried to hit the note her voice cracked. She stopped singing and frowned.

"It's all right, Ariel," Mrs. Rabbit said. "Everyone has off days; you'll have it down before the concert."

Ariel nodded and returned to her seat. She felt her cheeks grow hot and she kept her head down. As soon as Mrs. Rabbit dismissed them, Ariel hurried out of the room.

"You'll never be able to hit that note," Snow White called after Ariel when they reached the hallway.

Ariel spun around and glared at Snow White. She wasn't sure what came over her, but the next thing she knew she was storming over to Snow White.

"You may as well back out now and let someone with talent take over," Snow White said.

"Never!" Ariel spat. "I _earned _this solo and I _will _pull it off. You can't keep trying bully me, Snow White. No matter what you say or do, I will not back out of this solo. So, just accept the fact that you lost and get over it."

Snow White laughed. "I haven't lost. You may have gotten this solo, but we still have all of next year to prove once and for all who the better singer is at this school."

_XXX_

Jasmine climbed the bleachers in the gym just as the dance team and cheerleaders were starting their routine for the competition. As she watched them, she had to admit the routine was good; better than their routines from the last couple years. Even though Helga wasn't a good person, she was still a good choreographer and with her and Esmeralda teaming up, AHS had a real chance at winning this year.

Part of Jasmine wished she was still part of the team so she could be doing this with her best friend, but a bigger part of her was glad she didn't have that pressure on her anymore.

After they finished the routine, Helga announced that since the competition was in less than three weeks they would be practicing in the mornings and on the weekends starting tomorrow. This was met with a few groans, but no one complained or argued. When practice ended, the girls dispersed and Esmeralda made her way up the bleachers to Jasmine. Even though she was now sweating, Esmeralda still looked good. She was wearing her usual practice clothes: short black shorts and a purple t-shirt that she had tied up, baring her midriff. Her abs were more now sculpted and she was all-around more toned since she started working out with Mulan. Jasmine was happy to see her friend looking healthy again.

"Hey, girl!" Esmeralda greeted, sitting down next to her.

Jasmine smiled at her. "Hi."

"How were we?"

"Great! You definitely have a good chance of winning this year."

Esmeralda beamed. "You think so?"

"I do."

"I think so, too." Esmeralda took a long sip from her bottle of water. "More importantly, though, I'm so stoked about going to the movie premiere next weekend."

"It's gonna be awesome," Jasmine agreed.

Esmeralda nodded. "Man, we're booked for every Saturday from now 'till summer break. This Saturday is Philip's party, then next weekend is the premiere, the Saturday after that is the competition, then it's prom, then it's summer vacation."

"And then Aladdin leaves."


	76. Chapter 76

Belle pulled her hair back in a ponytail, then grabbed her backpack and made her way downstairs where her dad was waiting for her. Usually she got a ride to school from Aurora and Philip or Adam, but this morning her father had insisted he drive her.

Maurice handed her an English muffin as they headed out the door. They didn't say anything to each other for the first few minutes. Belle just ate her breakfast while a news radio station played quietly in the background. Her father finally spoke up when she finished eating.

"Are you still with that Adam boy?" Maurice asked, glancing at Belle.

"Yes, Papa."

Maurice nodded and looked back at the road. "And you like him?"

Belle smiled. "I think I love him, Papa."

Maurice looked at her, surprised, but then recomposed himself. "Well..." He cleared his throat. "Well, then I'd like to invite him over for dinner Sunday night."

"Really?"

"Yes. If he means that much to you, I'd like to get to know him."

Belle leaned over the seat and hugged her dad. "Thank you, Papa!"

Maurice patted her hand, but didn't say anything. When they pulled into the parking lot of the school, Belle kissed his cheek, then got out of the car. Adam was waiting for her by the main entrance and she greeted him with a hug.

"Hey, babe," Adam said.

Belle smiled at him. "Guess what!"

"What?"

"My dad wants to have you over for dinner Sunday night," Belle said, excitedly. "He wants to get to know you."

Adam frowned. "I don't know, Belle. He might not like me."

"He hated you before, Adam. Disliking you would be a step up."

"Belle, I'm serious."

"So am I. It doesn't matter if he doesn't like you; that's not going to change anything between you and me. You have nothing to worry about."

"All right..."

Adam didn't seem to want to continue the conversation about dinner, so Belle changed the subject. "Do you want to go to Philip's party this weekend?"

"Are you trying to change the subject?" Adam asked.

"Maybe a little."

"Let's try this..." Adam pulled Belle close to him and kissed her.

_XXX_

"Esmeralda, may I speak to you for a moment?" Dr. Doppler asked as Esmeralda gathered up her things.

"Uh, yeah." Esmeralda approached his desk as the rest of the students filed out of the classroom.

"Esmeralda, I hate to tell you this, but as of right now you are failing this class. At this point you will have to ace the final in order to pass," Dr. Doppler said. "If not, you will have to retake this class next year."

"I can't be failing!"

"I'm sorry, Esmeralda."

Esmeralda groaned in frustration as she walked out of the classroom. But, instead of going to her English class, Esmeralda went straight to the guidance counselor's office. She sat down in one of the chairs and waited for Captain Amelia to come out. When she did finally come out of her office, Esmeralda stood up and walked over to her.

"Esmeralda, what are you doing here?" Captain Amelia asked. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

"I really need to talk to you."

Captain Amelia glanced at her watch. "All right, but keep it short."

Esmeralda went into her office and sat down. "Dr. Doppler just told me that I'm failing his class."

Captain Amelia frowned as she took her seat behind her desk. "Esmeralda, I can't pull strings for you."

"Please, Captain Amelia!" Esmeralda pleaded. "If I have a failing grade I can't be on the dance team and the competition is only eighteen days away!"

Captain Amelia started typing on her computer and Esmeralda eyed her warily. After a few moments, a confused look crossed Captain Amelia's face.

"Esmeralda, it shows here that you're getting A's and B's in all of your other classes."

"Yes, ma'am."

Captain Amelia picked up the phone on her desk and hit the page button. "Dr. Doppler to the guidance counselor's office please."

It didn't take long for Dr. Doppler to stumble into the office, going through a stack of papers.

"Dr. Doppler," Captain Amelia said, getting his attention.

Dr. Doppler looked up. "Yes?"

"Esmeralda, here, is failing your class but is pulling above average grades in all of her other classes."

Dr. Doppler looked down at Esmeralda as if he hadn't known she was sitting there. "Okay..."

"It's obvious that Esmeralda works hard, since she needs passing grades in order to stay on the dance team," Captain Amelia said. "Is there any way for Esmeralda to get her grade up soon so she can compete in the upcoming dance competition?"

Dr. Doppler frowned and thought for a moment. "I suppose I can whip up a test for her to take reviewing everything from this semester."

"Thank you!" Esmeralda cried.

"Be in my classroom today at lunch. If you pass the test, I will raise your grade to a C."

Esmeralda wanted to protest since she didn't think she could be ready for the test by lunch, but she knew Dr. Doppler was being more than fair.

_XXX_

After school Vanessa drove Meg home and ended up hanging out for a while. Now Meg was sitting on her floor playing her guitar while Vanessa flipped through a magazine on her bed. Meg strummed her guitar a couple times, then started playing the song "Wasted" by L.P. Vanessa stopped reading and looked up.

"Isn't that the theme song for that show, South of Nowhere?" Vanessa asked.

Meg nodded, but kept her eyes on her guitar. "I'm just learning it."

"We used to watch that show together," Vanessa said, rolling onto her back. "Aiden was a hottie."

Meg looked up briefly and smiled at Vanessa. "Yeah."

"Don't mess with my heart, don't mess with my mind; won't let you get us down this time," Vanessa sang when Meg started playing the chorus. "You'll like what you see, and take it from me, you'll learn to see it over time."

"Get wasted on love, get wasted on life, get wasted on anything that's right," Vanessa and Meg sang together. "Get wasted, get wasted, get wasted, get wasted with me!"

Meg stopped playing and laughed.

"We sound good together," Vanessa stated, rolling back over on her stomach.

"We're not bad," Meg said, setting her guitar down.

Vanessa gave Meg a mischievous smile. "We should start a band."

Meg started to laugh, but saw Vanessa was serious. "I don't know about that, Nessa."

Vanessa sat up. "Oh, come on, Meg! What else are we gonna do this summer?"

"Fair enough. But, who would be in it?"

Vanessa ran her hand through her hair. "Well, we have you on guitar and I'd sing. That just leaves drums and bass. Possibly keyboard. We'll hold auditions."

At this point it didn't matter what Meg said. Vanessa was already thinking this through and there was no stopping her now.


	77. Chapter 77

Rapunzel leaned back against her locker and hugged her books to her chest. The cheerleaders and dance team were practicing before and after school now and some of the cheerleaders wore their uniforms around school everyday instead of having to change. Rapunzel was really starting to miss being a cheerleader. She should be on that team getting ready to compete in a few weeks. But, no; she had to do the right thing and stand up to Helga. Now she was going to have to watch from the sidelines.

"Hey, blondie," Flynn greeted, walking up to her.

"Hey." Rapunzel didn't even try to hide that something was bothering her.

"What's wrong?" Flynn asked.

"I miss being a cheerleader. I wanted to be head cheerleader so bad and go off to cheer in college. But now Helga has put a dart through that dream."

"It's not so bad," Flynn said. "Now you'll have time to focus on something else."

"What do you mean?"

"Ya know, figure out what you want to do with your life. I know you've been thinking about it since Spring Break. Now you can look into some career choices and be able to fill out some college applications once senior year starts."

Rapunzel raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend. "When did you become so responsible?"

Flynn laughed. "Since my mom started grilling me about my career choice."

"And what _is _your career choice?"

Flynn shrugged. "Become a thief and marry a princess. Ya know, I've always wanted my own castle."

Rapunzel laughed and playfully shoved Flynn. "Good luck with that."

Flynn frowned. "My mother isn't very supportive of it."

"No! How can she be against a fool-proof, realistic plan like that?"

"Go ahead and mock me Rapunzel. At least _I _know what I want."

Rapunzel rolled her eyes. "You got a point there."

"You've got some time to think about it," Flynn said. "And without cheerleading distracting you, you'll be able to focus on figuring things out."

"You're right, Flynn."

"I'm always right."

"Always right about what?" Thomas asked coming up behind Rapunzel.

"That Rapunzel should be focusing on figuring out what she wants to do in the future now that she doesn't have chearleading as a distraction."

"I've been telling her she should focus on her music," Thomas said. "She's an amazing songwriter."

"I didn't know that," Flynn said.

Rapunzel blushed. "That's more of a hobby. I don't know if I could really make a career out of it. I don't know how good I really am."

"Let's let the students here decide," Flynn suggested.

Rapunzel looked up at him with wide eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Why don't you write a song to be played at prom? That'll give you three weeks to write something and then-"

"No way!" Rapunzel interrupted.

"Why not?" Thomas asked. "That's a good idea. You can see how everyone responds to it and that'll help you determine whether or not music is something you should pursue."

"You're both out of your mind!" Rapunzel said.

"At least think about it," Flynn said.

Rapunzel looked at both Flynn and Thomas and then sighed. "All right; I'll think about it."

_XXX_

"You want to get something to eat?" Sally asked.

Pocahontas locked up the shelter and turned towards her friend. "Sure. I haven't eaten since lunch this afternoon at school."

The girls got in their cars and headed to Mickey's. Since it was kind of late on a Wednesday night the diner wasn't very busy and they had no trouble getting a table.

"I'm sorry I didn't make it to the protest," Sally said as they went over their menus. "I got stuck working."

"It's all right. It wasn't much of a protest-"

"Are you ready to order?" Ariel asked as she came up to their table and pulled her order pad out of her apron pocket.

"Chicken sandwich, fries and a water please," Sally told her.

"I'll also have water," Pocahontas said. "Along with the fish and chips."

Ariel wrote their orders down, then stuck her pen behind her ear and took their menus. "It shouldn't take long."

"Thank you," Pocahontas said.

Ariel nodded and walked away.

"So, you were saying...?" Sally asked, picking up their conversation. "It wasn't much of a protest?"

Pocahontas nodded. "Yeah. There were a bunch of us there and we were all ready to do what we had to stop the bulldozer. But it ended up not being necessary. Turns out the woods really are no-man's land. They not only act as a border between the two towns, but also between the two counties. So, legally, there was nothing they could to do to the land without permission from the state, so they backed out."

"Shouldn't they have figured that out _before _they started making plans to bull doze it?" Sally asked.

"That's the interesting part. Either they didn't know that was the case or they were going to do it anyway, but John brought to their attention and everyone else's and that's what stopped them," Pocahontas explained.

Ariel brought out their waters then and sat them on the table, then hurried back to the counter.

Sally took a sip of her water. "John who?"

Pocahontas raised an eyebrow. "My John."

"You're kidding...?"

Pocahontas smiled and shook her head. "Nope. He actually did some research on it and stopped it from happening."

Sally leaned back in her seat and started stirring her water with her straw. "Sounds like you got a keeper, Pocahontas. Don't let him go."

"I don't plan to."

Ariel brought over their food and put the plates down on the table. "Here ya go, guys. Do you need anything else?"

"No, we're good," Sally said.

"Enjoy!" Ariel said cheerily before walking away.

"Are you going to Philip's party?" Pocahontas asked, dipping one of her fries into the tartar sauce.

Sally nodded. "I think so. Everyone's talking about it. It sounds like it's gonna be pretty big."

"I don't know if I'm going. I don't think John really wants to go."

"Talk him into it. This is going to be the last big party of the school year. You guys should be there."

"I'll talk to him, but I don't know if he'll-" Pocahontas was interrupted by her phone ringing. She pulled it out of her pocket and checked the caller I.D. "It's John, do you mind if I take it?"

Sally shook her head. Pocahontas slipped out of the booth and flipped open her phone as she stepped outside.

"Hey, babe," she greeted.

"Hey. Are you busy?"

"A little; I'm having dinner with Sally."

"Do you have a minute to talk? It's about your cousin."

"Sure. What is it?"

"Kocoum threatened me after school today. Said he was going to kick my ass if I didn't leave you alone," John said.

Pocahontas rolled her eyes. "He's all talk."


	78. Chapter 78

Aurora looked around Philip's house; it was packed with students from both AHS and Camelot High. Aurora had been a little uneasy when students she didn't know from Camelot showed up, but Philip insisted the more the merrier. Philip was still mad about his parents missing his birthday and he was using the party as a way to "stick it to 'em".

So far, Philip had been dragged around the party by one group of people after another who wanted to wish him a happy birthday. Aurora hadn't gotten much time with him, but she didn't mind since she had him to herself all the night before for his actual birthday.

"Fight!" Someone shouted from outside.

Aurora hurried outside to see what was going on. Out in the yard a small group had gathered and she made her way through them. In the center of the circle Wendy and Tinker Bell were rolling around in the grass. A couple feet from them, Peter was watching them with a cocky smirk on his face. Aurora rolled her eyes at him, then looked back down at the girls. Tinker Bell now had Wendy pinned down, but Wendy had a handful of Tinker Bell's hair.

Aurora stepped forward and pulled Tinker Bell up. She struggled against her, but Aurora was much stronger than the petite girl and she shoved Tinker Bell towards Peter. Aurora then held her hand out to Wendy and helped her up. Wendy was unscathed, but she had grass stains on her clothes and dirt on her skin.

Aurora led her inside and up to Philip's parents' bathroom. Wendy sat down on top of the toilet seat and Aurora turned on the faucet to wet a wash cloth.

"What happened?" Aurora asked.

"Tink called me a boyfriend stealer and freaked out on me."

Aurora started cleaning the dirt of Wendy's face. "You guys realize he's neither of your boyfriends, right? He's leading you both on, but doesn't care about either of you."

"That's not true."

Aurora rolled her eyes. "Yes it is, Wendy. He's an immature boy who will string both of you along until he gets bored."

Wendy sighed. "That's what Andrina said, too."

"You need to forget about Peter and just boys in general. Focus on your acting; that's what's going to get you a head in life. All you need is you; no one else can make you happy."

_XXX_

Belle giggled quietly as Adam pulled her across Philip's yard to a shadowy, secluded spot behind a tree. He sat down on the grass and pulled Belle down so she was straddling him. She smiled at him and then kissed him. Adam entangled his hands in Belle's hair and she wrapped her arms around him. They held onto each other so tightly and were kissing each other so passionately, as if this was their last moment together.

Belle sighed as Adam's tongue found hers. Adam made no noise, but he tightened his grip on Belle. His hand slowly slid down her neck and over the front of her shirt. Belle didn't stop him since she was used to him copping feels over her shirt. At first she had been hesitant about letting him touch her like that, but it felt good, so she allowed it.

Now Adam carefully slipped his hand under her shirt and gripped her side, pulling her closer to him. Their hips were forced against each other's and Belle was surprised at how good it felt. Adam moved his hand further up so it was now over her bra, but she didn't stop him. Adam gently lowered her down on the ground without breaking the kiss. His hand now slid down her body to her thigh. Belle's breathing became heavier and she had to break the kiss. Adam lowered his lips to her neck. He then slid his to her inner thigh and slowly up between her legs.

Belle grabbed his hand and pushed it away.

"Adam, stop," she whispered. "You're going a little too fast."

"I'm staying on the outside of your jeans," Adam muttered. He freed his hand from hers and slid it back to where it had been.

Belle wiggled out from under Adam and sat up. "I said stop."

Adam stared at her without saying anything and Belle couldn't read his expression. She pulled herself to her feet and walked away from him.

_XXX_

"Come on, Eric, you're in swimming trunks you may as well just get in the water."

"It's a little too cold for swimming."

Ariel, who never passed up the opportunity to go swimming, was shoulder-deep in Philip's pool while Eric was sitting on the edge with one foot in the pool and his other knee pulled up to his chest with his hands clasped around it. It was a chilly night and Ariel was the only one in the pool. Philip, or rather, Aurora had set a few floating fake candles in the pool and to Ariel it was the most romantic setting and really wanted Eric to get in the pool with her.

"If we stay close to each other we'll be warm," Ariel told him.

"Why can't we be close to each other outside of the water?"

"All right..."

Ariel breast-stroked over to the edge of the pool. She started to pull herself out of the water, but then grabbed Eric's arm and pulled him back into the pool with her. Ariel couldn't help giggling.

Eric resurfaced and shook out his hair. "Damn, that's cold."

"You're in the water now, so you may as well stay in."

Eric wiped the water off his face. "You're sneaky."

"I'm clever."

"Is that right?"

"Yuppers."

Eric gave Ariel a sly smile before grabbing her shoulders and pushing her under the water. Ariel dove further under the water and grabbed Eric's ankles, causing him to lose his balance and fall under the water again. She pushed herself up to the surface and swept her hair off her face. Eric slowly surface and wiped his eyes.

"You're good," Eric admitted.

"I have six older sisters; it's survival of the fittest in our pool."

"That explains why you cheat," Eric said. "You caught me off guard both times; I bet you wouldn't be able to dunk me if I was prepared."

"Maybe not. But, are you willing to risk it?" Ariel winked at him.

"Try me."

Ariel sprung across the water and lunged at Eric. When she hit Eric, he didn't budge at all. Instead he caught her, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

"Cheater," Ariel muttered.


	79. Chapter 79

Pocahontas stood outside with John and watched as Gaston climbed onto the roof of Philip's pool house. He had removed all of his clothes, with the exception of his boxers. After he lost at beer pong against Hercules, Hercules dared him to jump into the pool from the roof. Gaston hadn't given it a second thought and immediately started getting undressed. He was now standing on the roof and looking around at everyone who had gathered to see this. Everyone was cheering and chanting his name, but Pocahontas just stared at him. Personally, she didn't care about this, but John thought it would be funny to watch, so there they were; waiting for a drunken idiot to jump into a pool.

Gaston did a cannonball into the pool, causing a huge splash that got a couple nearby people wet, including his girlfriend, Vanessa. Vanessa let out a shriek and Pocahontas laughed.

"I guess the show's over," John said, draping his arm over Pocahontas' shoulders.

He led her over to the abandoned bonfire. Even though the weather was getting warmer and there was no real need for a bonfire, it had become a staple for Philip's parties and he always had one going.

All of a sudden, John was shoved forward. The two of them turned around to see Kocoum. Pocahontas rolled her eyes. Kocoum's constant need to show how much of a man he was really annoyed Pocahontas. Especially since this now included threatening John, who in Pocahontas' opinion was twice the man Kocoum was.

"I told you to leave her alone," Kocoum stated.

"What are you going to do about it?" John demanded.

Pocahontas stepped between them. "Nothing. Kocoum, this is ridiculous. I want _you_ to leave _us _alone. You have no business getting involved in my relationship."

"Someone has to look out for you since your dad isn't around."

Pocahontas narrowed her eyes at him. "I can take care of myself. Stay out of my life!"

"Pocahontas..."

"Go away!" Pocahontas snapped.

Kocoum looked momentarily hurt, but walked away.

_XXX_

Rapunzel walked over to where Flynn was sitting on the couch and talking to a couple of people. She sat down next to him cuddled up close to him.

"I want you," Rapunzel whispered into Flynn's ear.

Flynn quickly turned his head towards her and smiled. She smiled back at him.

"I gotta go, guys." Flynn took Rapunzel's hand and they walked away.

They noticed there wasn't anyone on the stairs and headed up to the bedrooms. After finding Philip's room and his parents', they came across a guest room. They slipped inside and locked the door. The room was made up of only a bed with floral sheets, a dresser and a picture hanging on the wall of a flower that said, _Welcome, Friend. _

Flynn sat down on the bed and Rapunzel straddled him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"What brought this on?" Flynn asked.

"It's been a while." Rapunzel kissed him again and he moaned in agreement.

After making out for a few minutes, Rapunzel stepped back and took off her clothes, revealing her new lace bra and matching panties. She still felt a little uncomfortable while wearing next to nothing around Flynn, but she acted confident nonetheless.

Flynn smiled at her, then picked her up and threw her on the bed. Rapunzel started to giggle but then stopped, not sure if that was an appropriate reaction to what Flynn did. She was still new at this and still worried about doing something wrong. Of course, Flynn never put any pressure on her or told her she wasn't doing something right, but she didn't want him to be unsatisfied. She couldn't help fearing that she wouldn't be good enough and he would end up going after another girl; a girl with more experience.

Flynn got undressed and lowered himself onto the bed. "You're the best girlfriend ever."

Rapunzel smiled at him. "And you're the hottest boyfriend ever." She ran her hands through his hair and pulled him down on top of her.

_XXX_

"Having fun, yet?" Esmeralda asked Phoebus as she dabbed her clothes with a towel. She and Phoebus had gotten splashed during Gaston's big cannonball. Esmeralda didn't mind, but Phoebus seemed to be in a bad mood.

"Not really," Phoebus replied.

Esmeralda set the towel down. "It's just a little water, Phoebus; it's not a big deal."

"It's not that."

Esmeralda led Phoebus over to one of the dry pool chairs. "What is it?"

"I was just thinking about Lionel."

"Kayley's dad? I thought you weren't upset about that." Esmeralda hoped her comment didn't sound too insensitive.

"I feel bad that we're out at a party while Kayley went to her father's funeral earlier today. It doesn't seem fair."

Esmeralda took Phoebus' hand. "What happened to Kayley isn't fair. But, you can't put your life on hold because of someone else's pain."

"But Kayley is a friend of mine."

"I know she is. Don't you think she'd want you to be having fun instead of feeling sorry for her?" Esmeralda asked. "When my grandmother died, I hated how everyone pitied me and acted differently around me. Maybe Kayley is feeling the same way right now."

"Or maybe she really needs her friends right now and I'm at some stupid party instead of being there for her."

Esmeralda wasn't sure how to respond to that. She honestly didn't know this was bothering Phoebus so much.

"I'm gonna go," Phoebus finally said.

Esmeralda stood up. "I'll go with you."

"No. Stay here with your friends."

"But, Phoebus-"

"I'll call you later."

Esmeralda stared after him as he walked away. Why was he being so touchy with her? Was he mad at her for bringing him to the party? Esmeralda sat back down and looked around at her classmates. Everyone was having fun and laughing. Why couldn't Phoebus just lighten up? School was almost over and every one was in a good mood; she didn't understand how he could let something that had nothing to do with him bring him down.


	80. Chapter 80

**Even though I haven't updated this in a couple months, I'm still getting reviews asking me to update, so here you go...**

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><p><em>Why am I here? <em>Meg wondered as she looked around the party. The straight up answer was Thomas. Having a boyfriend connected to the "popular" crowd definitely had its drawbacks. But, more specifically, Meg questioned why she kept going with him to all of these events. Especially since he was always preoccupied by Rapunzel when they came. For someone as popular as Rapunzel, she still felt uncomfortable around everyone and needed Thomas for moral support.

Meg went back inside and made her way to the living room. Since it was May and the weather was getting warmer, most of the people at the party were outside, so the living room was almost completely deserted. She sat down on the sectional sofa and looked around. It was a big living room full of family photos and abstract paintings. It always seemed strange to Meg how the richer you were, the more ugly paintings you had. If Meg was rich, she definitely wouldn't waste her money on paintings that look like they were done by a toddler in their preschool class. To each their own, though, she supposed.

As she looked around, she noticed an acoustic guitar hanging on the wall. She slowly stood up and walked over to it. She carefully took it down, then brought it back over to the couch. She strummed it once and winced at how badly out of tune it was. Whoever owned it probably hasn't played it in a while. As Meg tuned the guitar she wondered if it was just another object Philip's parents bought just because they had the money and could.

Meg played a couple scales and just messed around on the guitar for a while, trying to keep herself busy. But, then Vanessa came in and plopped down on the couch next to her.

"Play I Love Rock n Roll," Vanessa whispered to her. Meg raised an eyebrow at her. "Just do it, Meg."

Meg shrugged and started playing "I Love Rock n Roll" by Joan Jett. A couple people looked over at her and she felt a little self concious. But when Vanessa started singing, everyone turned their attention to her. It wasn't long before Vanessa's singing attracted more people and a small group had gathered in the living room to watch them. They performed one song after another together and after the third song a much larger group had formed in the living room around them. Vanessa was loving the attention, but Meg felt really uncomfortable. After a couple more songs, they wrapped it up and the crowd slowly dispersed.

"That was awesome!" Rapunzel exclaimed, sitting down beside Meg. "You guys sound really good together."

"Thanks," Meg muttered.

"Have you ever thought about starting a band?" Thomas asked.

"We have actually," Vanessa told him as she repositioned herself so she was sitting on Gaston's lap, who had joined them during the last song.

"Ya know, Rapunzel plays keyboard," Thomas mentioned.

Vanessa looked thoughtful for a moment. "We could probably use a keyboard player. We're going to hold auditions for the band."

"We are?" Meg asked.

Vanessa nodded. "We'll keep you updated, Punzie."

Rapunzel made a face at Vanessa's nickname. "It's Rapunzel. And thanks, but I don't really have time to be in a band."

"Thomas, can I talk to you for a sec?" Meg asked, putting the guitar back on the wall.

Thomas followed Meg to a vacated part of the living room. "What is it, babe?"

"Look, I know you want Rapunzel and me to be friends, but I wish you would have talked to me before inviting her to join our band."

"I didn't invite her, I just mentioned that-"

Meg waved her hand dismissively. "The point is, I just don't think she and I are going to ever be friends. We're very different people and I just don't like her.

_XXX_

Esmeralda had ditched Jasmine to hang out with Phoebus a while ago and she hadn't seen her since. Aladdin had some things to work out with his dad, so he couldn't go to the party. Jasmine talked with a couple people for a while, but now she found herself sitting alone at the bonfire, missing Aladdin. She had no idea how she was going to handle not being with Aladdin when he moved when she could barely get through one night without him.

Jasmine couldn't help wondering if Aladdin would be the first to break and end things with her because he couldn't do it, or if she would beat him to it. It was becoming quite obvious that she wasn't going to make it that long without him. She pulled out her phone and sent a text to Aladdin.

_I miss you._

It took Aladdin a few minutes to respond, but Jasmine couldn't help getting a little excited when her phone went off.

_Miss u 2 babe._

_How are things going with your dad? _

_I'll talk 2 u later about it. Ok, baby. I love you._

_Luv u 2.  
><em>

Jasmine slipped her phone back in her pocket and sighed. Something was wrong. She didn't know what it was, but if Aladdin had to talk to her later about what was going on with his dad, it couldn't be good. Jasmine tried not to think about how she only had a few weeks left with Aladdin, but the thought was constantly creeping into her head.

"Hey, Jaz."

Jasmine looked up to see Esmeralda's older brother, Clopin, standing over her. Before she could say anything, he sat down next to her.

"Hi, Clopin."

"What are you doing sitting here all by yourself?"

"Just thinking."

Clopin nodded. "Where's your boyfriend tonight?"

"He couldn't make it."

Clopin moved a little closer to her. "So you're alone tonight?"

"Can I help you with something, Clopin? I mean, we haven't talked to each other in a long time and now all of a sudden you're being all friendly with me?"

"I was just thinking about our date to prom last year. I regret how things ended."

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "You mean not being able to sleep with me?"

"I regret letting it end at all," Clopin said. "But, I heard you're into college boys now and I'm gonna be in college soon..."

"I know what you're getting at and the answer is no. I have a boyfriend."

"Right. That twerpy little high school boy."

"You're still in high school, too."

"But not for long," Clopin interjected. "Come on, Jasmine. You know we were good together."

"No we weren't. I love my boyfriend and I have no interest in ever being with you again."

"You're just playing hard to get." Clopin grabbed Jasmine and pulled her into a kiss.

Jasmine quickly pulled away and slapped Clopin.


	81. Chapter 81

_A/N: I started getting bored with this story, but after going back and re-reading some of it I remembered how much fun writing this story had been. So, now I'm inspired again and plan to update more regularly. Thank you to everyone leaving reviews and motivating me to keep going._

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><p>"Pocahontas, wake up."<p>

Pocahontas groaned and rolled over. She and John had stayed out late after Philip's party the night before and she had planned on sleeping in that morning.

"Pocahontas," Nakoma said more aggressively. "You have a phone call. Get up."

Pocahontas opened one eye and looked up at her cousin. She was holding the cordless phone out to her. Pocahontas sighed and took it from her. She took a moment to wake up and then put the phone up to her ear.

"Hello?" Despite being tired and still in bed, she managed to make her voice sound like she had been awake for a while.

"Good morning, daughter."

Pocahontas' eyes flew open and she sat up. "Dad? I haven't heard from you in forever. How have you been?"

"I'm fine," he replied. "But, I'm afraid this isn't a pleasure call."

"What do you mean? Is something wrong?"

"I hear there is. Kocoum called me this morning to tell me you're dating a boy whom he thinks he bad for you."

Pocahontas rolled her eyes and lied back down. This was so not worth waking up for. "Kocoum doesn't know what he's talking about. John is a great guy. I don't know what Kocoum's problem is."

"Pocahontas, I don't have time to argue about this. I trusted Kocoum to look after you and if he doesn't approve of this boy, then maybe it's for the best that you don't see him."

"No! Kocoum doesn't get to control my life. And _you_ don't get to just call me up after not contacting me for months and try and tell me what to do."

"Pocahontas-"

"You're busy, dad, remember? I don't want to keep you." Pocahontas hung up the phone and tossed it on the floor before rolling over and going back to sleep.

_XXX_

"That was some party last night," Aurora said, picking up the plastic cups left on the kitchen counter. She dropped them in the almost full garbage on the floor at her feet then looked over at Philip. He was sitting at the table, staring at a leftover beer can from the party.

Aurora walked over to him, picked up the can and threw it away. Philip looked up at her, but then lowered his head. Aurora sat down and put a comforting hand on his arm.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"Being the son of rich parents sucks."

Aurora thought about telling him the grass wasn't greener on the other side, but decided that probably wasn't what he wanted to hear right then.

"Philip, I know it must hurt to have your parents miss your birthday, but forget them. All of your friends showed up last night to celebrate with you. Your parents will have to live with guilt, but you can't let it get to you. You are surrounded by people who love you and want to be around you. Focus on that."

Philip stood up and started cleaning. "That's easy for you to say; you have the perfect family."

Aurora resisted the urge to laugh out loud. "That's not true. My mother and I fight all the time. No one has the perfect family. That's why God gave us friends; so we can have people to escape to."

Philip gave Aurora a half smile. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up."

"That's what I'm here for." Aurora stood up. "And, uh, speaking of friends; Eric is passed out in the upstairs bathroom. You should probably take care of that."

_XXX_

Belle sat awkwardly next to Adam at dinner, trying to avoid eye contact with him. She hadn't spoken to him since the party, but tonight was the night of the dinner with her dad and they didn't want him to know anything was wrong, since she was still trying to get his approval.

"Adam, I'd like to start out by thanking you for saving Belle that day," Maurice said.

"There's no need to thank me, sir. I did what anyone would have done in my situation."

"Still, my daughter is the most important thing in my life and I don't know what I would do if something happened to her."

Adam glanced at Belle, then looked back at Maurice. "I feel the exact same way about her."

For some reason, hearing that seemed to surprise Belle's father. But then he gave Adam a small smile. "I misjudged you, Adam."

Adam nodded. "Most people do. I know there are rumors spreading around about me and I understand your hesitation in letting Belle date me. But, I assure you, sir, that Belle is safe with me."

"Nonetheless, I'm sorry for what I've said to and about you."

Belle gave her father a wary look. "What are you getting at, Papa?"

"Adam has clearly shown he is different that I originally thought and I was wrong before. Adam, if you truly care about my daughter, then I no longer disapprove of you dating her."

"Thank you, Papa!" Belle got up and hugged her dad.

"Please continue to take care of her, Adam."

"I will."

The phone rang then and Maurice excused himself. Belle turned to face Adam and smiled at him. Adam, however, looked completely serious.

"Belle, I'm really sorry about last night."

Belle glanced over at her father. He had his back to them and was talking quickly about something Belle didn't understand.

"Let's not talk about that now, okay?"

"We have to talk about it soon. I've been feeling so bad about what I did."

Belle narrowed her eyes at Adam. "I don't want to talk about it now. Please drop it."


	82. Chapter 82

"I can't believe we're doing this," Meg muttered.

Vanessa finished hanging a flyer on the bulletin board then turned to face Meg. "Doing what?"

"Holding auditions for our band." Meg handed her another flyer.

"What do you mean? I thought you were on board for starting a band."

"I am. I guess." Meg sighed. "I don't know."

Vanessa taped the flyer on the door to the cafeteria. "Relax. It's just something to do over the summer."

Meg glanced down at the stack of auditions flyers in her hand. "I guess I'm more apprehensive about having the auditions at _my _house. I don't really like anyone at this school and I'm not looking forward to having them over."

"Well, my mom and I live in an apartment, so we can't have them at my place."

"Fine." Meg handed her a flyer. "Were you actually considering Rapunzel for the band?"

Vanessa shrugged. "If she's good enough, why not?"

"Because she's annoying." Meg emphasized her point by slapping a flyer hard against a locker.

"Annoying or not, our band needs the best. We can't play gigs and get paid if we suck," Vanessa said, eying the crooked flyer Meg just hung.

The girls continued walking through the hallways of AHS, hanging up all the flyers before school started.

"Nessa, can I ask you something?" Meg asked when they finished.

"Sure."

"Do you like all of Gaston's friends?"

"I tolerate them," Vanessa replied, rifling through her purse. She pulled out some lip gloss and applied it. "Why do you ask?"

"Thomas hasn't talked to me since I told him I don't like Rapunzel."

"I'm not surprised. It's important to guys that their girlfriends get along with their friends."

Meg slumped against the wall. "So, I'm gonna have to pretend to like the blonde cheerleader."

Vanessa tossed her lip gloss back in her purse. "_Ex _cheerleader."

"Either way, I'm starting to realize more and more that I just don't fit into Thomas' world."

_XXX_

"These morning practices are brutal," Tinker Bell stated as she dropped her gym bag on the bench in the locker room.

They had just finished their Monday morning practice and, as usual, Tinker Bell was ready to start on her "I hate mornings; Helga is a tyrant" rant. Esmeralda tuned Tinker Bell out as she finished changing out of her practice clothes.

"Es, I need to talk to you," Helga said, walking up to the two girls.

Tinker Bell immediately stopped talking and just glared at Helga. Helga returned the glare before looking back at Esmeralda.

"Walk with me," Helga said.

Esmeralda picked up her backpack and followed Helga out to the gym. "What is it?"

"We need to talk about the costumes for the competition."

"What about them?"

"Well, we have to pick them out."

"What about the costumes Giselle made?"

Helga shook her head. "No. Those were Jasmine's. We need something new."

"Those _are _new. Giselle designed those, like, back in January. They cost Jasmine $400."

"Exactly. Jasmine bought those and since she is no longer on the team, we can't use them."

"They're all we've got. The competition is less than two weeks away, how are we supposed to get all new costumes by then?"

"I want Giselle to make them."

"Okay... So, then why are you talking to me instead of her?"

"I already asked her. She wants $600 to do it and I don't have that kind of money. We need all the girls to pull their money."

Esmeralda put her hand on her hip. "Again, why are you talking to _me _about this?"

"I'm not an idiot, Esmeralda, I know they don't like me. They're not gonna agree if I ask them."

"Then why not have Giselle ask them?"

"Because she doesn't want to do it."

"Then there you go. Giselle doesn't want to make new costumes and we don't want to pay for them. We're using Jasmine's."

"No we're not."

"Look, Helga; I have a lot on my plate right now so I don't have time to deal with your ego trip," Esmeralda snapped. "You may be used to everyone just bowing down to your every whim, but I'm _so _over it. We are going to use the costumes Giselle made earlier this semester and that's final."

"Where do you get off talking to me like that? I'm in charge here."

"You're the head cheerleader, but _I'm _captain of the dance team. Whether you like it or not, _we're _both in charge. You're not the only one calling the shots anymore, Helga Sinclair."

_XXX_

"Ariel! I'm so glad I caught you."

Ariel closed her locker just as Charlotte reached her. "What's up?"

"I need to copy your science homework," Charlotte told her in a hushed tone.

Ariel rolled her eyes. "Charlotte..."

"I know! I spent the weekend with Johnny and totally forgot all about it."

"All right." Ariel opened her locker, pulled out her science folder and handed Charlotte the homework.

"I'll give it back to you at lunch."

Ariel shook her head. "No. Copy it now. I don't want to risk not getting it back."

"You don't trust me?"

"I do. But with the semester coming to an end soon, I don't want my grades to slip at all."

Charlotte sat down on the floor and pulled out her unfinished homework. "I get it."

Ariel sat down next to Charlotte. "What did you guys do this weekend?"

"Other than Philip's party, we stayed in mostly." Charlotte looked up briefly to wink at Ariel. "How are things going with Eric?"

Ariel smiled to herself. "Amazing. I really think he's _the one_."

"Ariel, I'm really happy for you. But, try not to move too fast," Charlotte said, not looking up. "You're only seventeen; most people don't marry the person they were with junior year of high school."

Ariel cocked an eyebrow at Charlotte. "Since when did you become realistic? I thought you were all about fairy tales and happy endings."

"I am. But you can't just make believe in you're in a fairy tale. Just keep your eyes and mind open, Little Mermaid."

"Are you trying to discourage me and Eric?"

"Of course not. I think you guys are super cute together. I've just found that being realistic helps to soften the blow if you _do _break up."

"Are you done with my homework?" Ariel asked, trying to change the subject.

Charlotte nodded as she finished up writing, then handed Ariel her homework. "Thanks. You totally saved my life."

Ariel laughed. "No problem. But, I think you should incorporate doing your school work into that 'being realistic' plan of yours."


	83. Chapter 83

Jasmine quickly gathered her homework and made her way down the hall. Monday was finally over. Only three Mondays left of school. It was so close but still seemed so far to Jasmine. At the same time, though, she didn't really want school to end. School ending meant Aladdin leaving. It was a lose-lose situation for her.

Jasmine pushed open the double doors that led to the parking lot and immediately spotted Aladdin walking towards his car. She ran after him and caught up to him just as he was unlocking his door.

Aladdin turned around as she approached him. "Hey, babe. What's up?"

"Can I talk you?"

"Sure," Aladdin replied, tossing his backpack in his car.

"It's about Philip's party."

Aladdin leaned against his car. "Did you have fun?"

Jasmine awkwardly shifted her backpack to her other shoulder. "Um. No. Not really."

"I'm sorry to hear that. How come?"

"Well, at one point I was alone and Clopin made a pass at me. I mean, he kissed me."

"Did you kiss him back?"

"No! Of course not. I slapped him."

Aladdin gave her a crooked smile. "Good girl."

"I just wanted to let you know in case he starts rumors saying otherwise."

"Would he do that?"

"I don't know."

"Why would Clopin go after you? Isn't he Esmeralda's brother?"

Jasmine nervously bit her lower lip. "Yes. But, uh, last year I went to prom with him. We almost hooked up, but I changed my mind at the last minute."

Aladdin frowned. "So now he's trying to finish what you guys started a year ago?"

"I don't know. I guess. Maybe?"

Aladdin ran his hand through his hair. "Should I be worried about the two of you when I'm gone?"

"Definitely not. I can't stand him."

Aladdin nodded. "Good."

"Hey, Jasmine."

Jasmine's skin crawled at the sudden sound of Clopin's voice. _Speak of the Devil and he's sure to appear... _Jasmine spun around and glared at him.

"What do you want?"

"I had fun with you at the party." Clopin winked at her.

Aladdin stepped forward. "Leave my girlfriend alone."

"Hey, man; if you don't want your girl spending time with other guys you shouldn't leave her alone at a party while she's drinking."

"I wasn't drinking!" Jasmine snapped.

"Just back off," Aladdin told him.

Clopin held his hands up in surrender. "I'll leave her alone, but I know she won't stay away from me."

"In your dreams!" Jasmine stated.

"Every night." Clopin winked at her.

Jasmine felt like she was going to be sick. "Oh gross."

Aladdin shoved Clopin. "Get lost. If I ever see you near her again, I'll kick your ass."

Clopin slowly shook his head with a mischievous grin. "You'll be gone and she's gonna need someone to keep her company."

Aladdin punched Clopin in the gut, causing him to double over in pain. Then he and Jasmine got in his car and drove off, leaving Clopin alone in the parking lot.

_XXX_

Rapunzel pulled into the parking lot of Genie's Garage and was glad to see Flynn's pickup truck. She wasn't sure if he was working after school today, but she figured he would be. She got out of the car and walked inside. Flynn was sitting at the counter, doing something on the computer, but no one else was around. He looked up when Rapunzel walked in and gave her a smile.

"Hey, blondie. I wasn't expecting to see you here."

Rapunzel smiled and shook her head. It had been a while since she died her hair brown, but Flynn still insisted on calling her blondie.

"I just wanted to stop by to talk to you for a minute," Rapunzel told him.

"Stay as long as you want. As you can see, we're pretty slow and I'm insanely bored already."

Rapunzel reached into her backpack and pulled out the flyer she found earlier that morning. She set it on the counter to show Flynn. "Meg's band is holding auditions and I'm not sure if I should go."

Flynn picked up the wrinkled paper. "Why are you on the fence about it?"

"I like playing the keyboard and I think it would be fun to join the band, but it's no secret that Meg doesn't like me."

"Who else is in the band?"

"So far just Meg and Vanessa, I think."

Flynn thought for a moment as he studied the flyer. "I think you should do it."

"You do?"

Flynn nodded. "Why not? What have you got to lose?"

"Nothing, I guess." Rapunzel stuck a strand of hair behind her hair. "But, if I make it it's gonna be awkward to be around Meg. I don't really spend any time with her without Thomas."

"Other people will be there, too."

"Will you go to the auditions with me?"

"Sorry, blondie, I can't; I have to work."

Rapunzel frowned. "Are you sure?"

Flynn laughed. "Yes. Why don't you just have Thomas go with you?"

"I can't. If Thomas is there, Meg will think he's pressuring her into picking me."

Flynn slid the flyer back across the counter. "I don't know what to tell you."

"Me either."

Flynn leaned back in the chair. "I say either ask one of your other friends to go with you or go by yourself."

Rapunzel folded up the flyer and put it back in her backpack. "All right. Maybe Giselle will be free."

"There you go."

"Thanks, Flynn."

Flynn nodded. "You don't need anyone, Rapunzel. You just need the courage to put yourself out there. I'm pretty sure if you can stand up to Helga, you can play the keyboard in front of Meg."

"And Vanessa. You forget: she's just as bad as Helga."

"You're right. Sorry, blondie; looks like you're screwed."

Rapunzel stuck her tongue out at her boyfriend. "Thanks a lot."


	84. Chapter 84

Andrina squealed as she climbed into the driver seat of her new car. Their father made a deal with each of them that if they got into college they would get a car for graduation. Andrina got hers this morning and insisted on driving Ariel to school.

"Best Friday ever!" Andrina declared as she pulled out of the driveway.

Ariel couldn't help but giggle at her sister. It was cut short, however, when Andrina drove through the stop sign at the end of their street.

"Andi, you just blew a stop sign," Ariel told her.

Andrina made a face. "Oops. Don't tell dad."

"I won't."

"Thanks." Andrina straightened up. "I can't believe I'm graduating in three weeks."

"It's pretty exciting."

Andrina nodded. "Look, don't tell dad, but I don't want to go to college."

"Why not?"

Andrina shrugged. "I mean, I want to take acting classes and everything. But, I really don't see how taking any other classes is going to help me become an actress."

"I see your point," Ariel said. "But, I think dad wants us to have back-up plans just in case things don't work out."

Andrina rolled her eyes. "That's just his way of saying he doesn't believe in my dream."

"That's him being realistic," Ariel said, thinking about what Charlotte had told her earlier that week about being realistic. "I mean, do you know how many people really make it as an actor compared to how many people _want _to be an actor?"

"You sound like dad."

"I support you a hundred percent, Andi, but there's nothing wrong with having a safety net."

Ariel was surprised to hear herself say that. Honestly, she wouldn't have been thinking that way if she hadn't had the conversation with Charlotte earlier. Who would have thought Charlotte would be the voice of reason?

"Maybe if acting doesn't work out I can be a drama teacher like Mrs. Rabbit," Andrina said, thoughtfully.

"That's a good plan."

_XXX_

Pocahontas and Sally got to their first period English class early. Ms. Radcliffe was busy writing on the dry erase board and had her back to them.

Sally leaned over to Pocahontas. "Guess what."

"What?"

"Jack asked me to prom last night," Sally told her with a big smile.

"How did he do it?"

Sally's face lit up. "We were taking his dog, Zero, for a walk down the trail in the woods and all of a sudden he pulled out a black rose and asked me. It was so romantic."

"That's great, Sally."

"How did John ask you?"

Pocahontas started flipping through her book. "He hasn't. Yet."

"Really? John usually asks you to the dances right away."

"I know. But, we're hanging out on Sunday; maybe he's planning on asking me then."

"I'm sure he's going to. And then you'll have to tell me how he did it."

"Don't get too excited." Pocahontas wasn't sure if she was saying that to Sally or herself. "John isn't exactly romantic, so I'm sure he won't do it in any special way."

"You don't know that. It's the first time he's asking you to prom; he may go all-out for it."

Pocahontas shook her head. "Not likely. John doesn't like dances. He only goes because I like them."

"That may be true, but prom is different. Everyone looks forward to prom."

Pocahontas laughed. "Not John. He even thinks the theme is stupid."

Sally let out a small, excited squeal. "Jack and I are excited about the theme. It doesn't get better than a masquerade ball."

Pocahontas smiled at her best friend. "It _does_ sound exciting."

"Do you want to go dress shopping with me tomorrow?"

"I don't want to jump the gun and jinx it. Can we go next Saturday; after John asks me?"

"Of course. I think next Friday is pay day for us, anyway. We can do lunch, too."

"I can't wait."

_XXX_

The five minute warning bell rang and Esmeralda hurried towards Phoebus' locker. He was just walking away when she caught up to him.

"There you are," she told him. "I've been looking for you."

"I didn't realize I was lost."

"Phoebus, you missed school Monday _and _Tuesday and then you avoided me the rest of the week."

"So?"

"So I've been worried about you. We haven't talked since Philip's party last weekend."

"I wasn't feeling good and I had a lot on my mind."

"Is this about Kayley's dad?"

"I don't know. I guess."

"Phoebus, why won't you talk to me?"

"Why are you nagging me?"

Esmeralda stared at him for a moment, but he dropped his eyes. "I'm not trying to nag. I'm just trying to be here for you, but you're shutting me out."

"I don't think you'd understood what I'm going through."

"Maybe not. But, you didn't understand what I was going through with my eating disorder and I still let you in."

"Only because I thought you were pregnant and you were forced to tell me the truth. Otherwise, you wouldn't have told me." Phoebus continued walking.

Esmeralda fell into step beside him. "Good point. Still, in the end it was nice having you there for me. Whatever it is you're going through, you don't have to deal with it alone."

"I'm not. I have Mulan. She understands."

Esmeralda resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the mention of Mulan's name. She was friends with Mulan now, but she couldn't help remembering how Mulan had acted over spring break.

"I would understand, too, if you told me."

"Essie, everyday men and women die in combat, but when it's someone you know or someone who's close to a friend of yours it hits you a little harder and it makes you realize that the people in your life aren't invincible. My dad could be next or Mulan's. That's something that we are forced to think about now after Lionel's death. It's also something you don't have to worry about."

"I may not have to worry about my parents dying in war, but I love you, Phoebus, and I have to worry about how all of this affects you."

"I'll be fine."

"It doesn't seem like it."

"I don't want you worrying about me."

"Well, I am. And if you want me to stop, then you need stop shutting me out and being elusive."

Phoebus sighed, knowing there was no way he could win with her. "All right. I promise."


	85. Chapter 85

"I mean, that's bad, right?" Belle asked.

Belle had just finished telling Tiana and Jane about what had happened with Adam at the party. They had been walking to Tiana's house but the two of them stopped and were now gaping at Belle. Belle shifted her weight uncomfortably.

"Belle, the party was almost a week ago; why didn't you tell us sooner?" Tiana asked.

"I don't know. I guess I just wasn't sure how to bring it up."

The girls started walking again.

"I know you don't want to hear this," Tiana said after a couple minutes, "but, I think you need to break up with Adam. First he pushes you and then he tried to rape you-"

"He didn't try to rape me," Belle corrected. "He was just trying to feel me up. Outside of my clothes."

Tiana shrugged as if she wasn't buying it. "_This _time. But, what happens if next time he tries to go further and doesn't stop?"

"Adam wouldn't do that."

"Tiana, Maybe you're wrong about Adam," Jane said.

Tiana raised an eyebrow at Jane. "And maybe Adam's really a prince who lives in a castle and will marry Belle and they'll live happily ever after?"

Jane blushed at Tiana's mocking. "All I'm saying is that Belle knows him better than we do. Maybe we should take her word for it."

Tiana shook her head. "Belle is blinded by love. She wouldn't see the truth if it shoved her to the ground."

"I'm walking right next to you, Tiana; I can hear you. Stop talking about me as if I'm not here."

"Belle, I'm not trying to be rude," Tiana said, softly. "I'm just trying to look out for you. I would feel bad if I ignored all of the warning signs and then Adam did something to hurt you."

"He won't intentionally hurt me."

"I hope you're right. I really do."

_XXX_

Rapunzel paced nervously outside of Meg's garage. She could hear someone inside the garage auditioning on the drums. She tried focusing on the rhythm from the drums instead of her nerves, but it wasn't working. She nibbled on her bottom lip and ran her hand through her short hair. (She still wasn't used to the length.) There were a couple of other people waiting outside for their turn to audition, including one other girl for keyboard. She had long curly hair that was dyed pink at the top and purple at the bottom and a silver stud on the left side of her nose. She looked like she was older than Rapunzel; possibly in college. She certainly looked like she belonged in a band.

Rapunzel took a deep breath and turned away from the girl. As she turned around she came face-to-face with Flynn. She was caught by surprise at first and for a moment she thought her nerves were making her see things. Flynn was supposed to be at work.

"Hey, blondie."

Rapunzel sighed in relief. "What are you doing here?"

"Auditioning." Flynn held up what looked like a guitar case.

"I didn't know you played guitar. I don't think they're looking for a guitar player..."

Flynn set the case down on the driveway. "I play bass."

"I didn't know that," Rapunzel replied, distracted by the sudden quiet coming from inside the garage.

Flynn shrugged. "It's more or less a hobby. But I figured I'd come audition anyway."

Rapunzel nodded. "I thought you had to work."

"I did. Aladdin's covering my shift."

"Well, I'm glad you're here."

The large garage door opened part way and Jim Hawkins slipped out from underneath it. He twirled his drumsticks in his hands as he walked down the driveway. Vanessa came out shortly after him. She scanned the people who were left to audition.

"You, bass player, you're up," Vanessa said, pointing at Flynn.

Flynn picked up his case and kissed Rapunzel's cheek. "See ya on the other side, blondie."

_XXX_

Meg cringed as she and Vanessa listened to the girl with the two-toned hair play the keyboard. Vanessa was already scribbling the girl's name out.

"Thank you for stopping by," Vanessa told her, interrupting her playing. The girl frowned. "We'll be in touch."

She was the last one to audition and once she was gone, Meg sighed and leaned back in her folding chair.

"That was disappointing," Vanessa said. "I thought for sure she'd be good."

"Because she had dyed hair and her nose pierced?"

Vanessa shrugged. "Wishful thinking."

Meg glanced down at the list of people who auditioned. "I think we should go with Jim for drums."

Vanessa looked over the names of the other people who auditioned for drums. "What about Gaston?"

Meg shook her head. "Come on, Vanessa; he was terrible."

"But he's hot."

"Irrelevant."

Vanessa sighed. "Fine. We'll go with the Hawkins kid." She drew a circle around Jim's name, then pulled out the list of bass players. "I think the obvious choice for bass is Flynn."

Meg nodded in agreement. "That just leaves keyboard."

Vanessa glanced up at Meg. "Only two people auditioned."

Meg groaned. "I know."

"I hate to say it, but I think we have to go with Rapunzel. She was actually pretty good."

"Yeah she was." Meg didn't bother to hide the disappointment in her voice. She was not thrilled with spending the summer with the cheerleader.

"Look on the bright side; with her boyfriend also being in the band, maybe you won't have to worry about her getting in her hair," Vanessa said. "She'll probably spend her free time with him."

"You're probably right."

"Of course I am," Vanessa said, jotting down the names of the three new members of their band. She then pulled out her cell phone and sent out a mass text to them informing them of their decision.

Meg could just picture Rapunzel in her all pink room getting the text message and then cheering in excitement with her pom-poms.

Meg groaned. It was going to be a long summer.


	86. Chapter 86

Aurora stood up and cheered with the rest of the crowd as Flynn Rider scored the winning basket of the game. It was Saturday evening and the Andalasia Dragons basketball team just won the championship game. The team rushed the court and lifted Flynn up on their shoulders. Andrina started jumping up and down as she chanted Flynn's name with everyone else. Ariel, who had been sitting on the other side of Andrina, quickly ran down the bleachers and ran towards Eric. He picked her up and spun her around.

Aurora couldn't believe this was the last game already. It seemed like Junior year had gone by way too fast. As the rest of the crowd started down the bleachers to congratulate their champions, Aurora slipped out of the double doors. Philip was having a party after the game and she promised to meet up with him beforehand to help.

"Leaving already?"

Aurora spun around to see Eric and Ariel coming out into the hallway. Ariel had her arm wrapped around Eric's stomach and Aurora noticed that she had Eric's jersey number drawn on the back of her hand in marker.

"I'm heading over to Philip's to help him get ready for your victory party. I'm supposed to meet him in the parking lot."

"Did he watch the game?"

"Of course he did. He slipped out right after you scored to avoid the crowd. He wants to get to his house before everyone else."

Eric nodded as he draped his arm over Ariel's shoulders. "Tell him we'll be there in a little bit."

"Will do." Aurora hurried down the hall and ran out into the parking lot.

Philip was already in his car with it running. Aurora slipped into the passenger seat and he pulled out right away.

"Can you believe it's over?" Aurora asked as Philip sped through town.

"I know; Eric only has one season left of high school basketball."

"Time really is going by fast."

Philip got to his house in record time. He had just enough time to unlock his front door when a couple of cars pulled up in front of the house. It wasn't long until most of the school arrived. Philip's house was packed. Andrina managed to fight through everyone and find Aurora. The girls went outside and sat by the pool.

"This is it," Andrina said, taking a sip from her plastic cup. "No more high school games for me. Part of me is really going to miss high school."

Aurora leaned back on her hands. "No one misses high school."

Andrina was quiet for a moment. "You're probably right. I guess I'm just feeling nostalgic since I'm graduating in three weeks."

"Well, drama club won't be the same without you, Andi."

A loud eruption of cheers came from inside the house. Aurora craned her neck to see what the commotion was about. Flynn had just walked in and everyone was cheering for him once again.

Andrina downed the rest of her drink. "No; I think I'm gonna miss high school. I like the parties and the fun; I'm not ready for the real world." She glanced up at Aurora through her blonde hair. "Let's make time stop, okay?"

_XXX _

"Jasmine!"

"Jasmine, over here!"

"Jasmine!"

"Jasmine!"

Jasmine's name was being called out all around her. Instead of trying to address each person, she stayed stationary and smiled. She was blinded by flashing lights as her picture was taken by dozens of people at one time. She and her friends has just arrived at the premiere of her father's movie and everyone's attention was on her; the daughter of the movie's star. She would be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying it. Esmeralda, Aladdin and Phoebus were just a couple feet away. No one was paying much attention to them. Esmeralda was looking around, completely starstruck, while Phoebus took some of his own pictures. Aladdin had his eyes on Jasmine and was smiling at her. She smiled back and motioned for him to join her. He hesitated, but came up beside her.

"Who's your date, Jasmine?" a female reporter from a teen magazine asked.

"My boyfriend, Aladdin," Jasmine replied.

Her response was immediately met with the cameras going off again. If Aladdin felt uncomfortable, he didn't show it. The four of them eventually moved on to find their seats.

"This is incredible!" Esmeralda gushed. "Thank you so much for inviting us."

Jasmine linked her arm through Esmeralda's. "Of course."

Behind her, Jasmine could hear the clicking of Phoebus' phone as he tried to sneak pictures of some of the actors in attendance.

"Jasmine, you made it!" her father greeted, approaching them.

"I wouldn't miss it."

Her father hugged her, then offered her friends a friendly smile. "It's good to see all of you. The movie will be starting soon; I'll come find you afterwards."

Jasmine and her friends found their seats and sat down. Phoebus started scrolling through the pictures he had taken, frowning at the ones that didn't turn out. Aladdin leaned back in his seat and kept Jasmine's hand in his.

"Oh my God!" Esmeralda whispered, gripping Jasmine's free arm. She dug her nails into Jasmine's skin and Jasmine flinched. "Jasmine, is that Orlando Bloom?"

Jasmine glanced over to where Esmeralda's eyes were glued. "Yeah it is."

"I haven't seen him in a movie in ages." She turned and looked excitedly at Jasmine. "Do you know him? Because if you've known him this whole time and didn't tell me..."

Jasmine laughed. "My father knows him, but I've never met him."

"Well, I'm going to. Come on, Phoebus, we're gonna go meet Orlando Bloom."

"Try not to embarrass me," Jasmine told her, but Esmeralda was already long gone.

"It's weird being in this world with you," Aladdin said. "I mean, here you're some sort of celebrity and everyone wants to talk to you. But at school you're just a normal girl."

Jasmine leaned closer to her boyfriend. "My dad makes sure no one bothers me during the school year, but you should see me during the summer; people just flock to me all the time. I show up in teen magazines a lot."

"I had no idea about your celebrity status."

"I try to keep a low profile."

Aladdin was quiet for a moment, but then shifted position so he was facing her. "Why are you with me?"

"Because I love you."

Aladdin shook his head. "It's pretty obvious that you can have your pick of guys, so why the poor mechanic?"

"Aladdin, the downfall to trying to date when you have the life I have sometimes is that you don't know who to trust. Who pretends to like me to get close to my dad? Who just wants to date me for their fifteen minutes of fame? Who likes me for me? Most times when I meet people, I don't know who is who. I want something real that I can trust and count on."

"All this time you've been worried about me ending up with Sadira and I had no idea I should worry about you having a summer fling with some actor or model."

"Weren't you listening? I don't want that. I want _you_, Aladdin. I don't care about any other boy."

Aladdin relaxed and pulled Jasmine closer to him. "And I don't care about any other girl."


	87. Chapter 87

When Meg got home from the gym, she was the only one home. She grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and made her way up to her room. After drinking more than half the bottle in one gulp, she changed out of her gym clothes and got into the shower. The water was cool and she just stood there for a few minutes letting it cool her down. She then hurried through the rest of her shower and got out.

As Meg was finishing up getting dressed the doorbell rang. She made her way downstairs and opened the door. She tried to hide her disappointment when she saw it was Rapunzel.

"Hey, Meg!" Rapunzel greeted.

"What's up?"

"I just wanted to come over and thank you in person for letting me be in your band."

"Only two keyboard players auditioned and the other one sucked," Meg told her, trying to make it sound like it wasn't a big deal.

"It's exciting nonetheless. We're gonna have so much fun this summer. When do practices start?"

"The Saturday after school gets out." Meg glanced back into her house, trying to think of an excuse to make Rapunzel leave. "Um, listen, Rapunzel; I really need to study for finals, so I should get going."

"Right. Of course. But, um..." Rapunzel bit her lip nervously and looked around. "Um, do you guys already have a set list; should I learn any specific song before our first practice?"

Meg leaned against the door frame and crossed her arms over her chest, realizing Rapunzel probably wasn't leaving any time soon. "I think the only song we know for sure that we're doing is _Made of Stone _by Evanescence."

Rapunzel's phone went off and she pulled it out of her purse. She read the text message then smiled up at Meg. "Great! I'll work on that. Thanks again, Meg."

"Yeah."

Rapunzel gave Meg a quick hug, smiled excitedly at her, then turned and hurried away.

"Strange girl," Meg muttered to herself.

Meg slammed the door closed and went back up to her room. She stopped short in the door way. Several guitar picks were taped to the wall across from her bed to spell out _Will you go to prom with me?_

Meg's heart raced and she looked around just as Thomas came out of her adjoined bathroom.

"Sorry about Rapunzel," Thomas told her. "I needed a distraction so I could get this done."

Meg smiled at him. "It's okay."

"So... will you?"

"Of course." Meg threw herself into Thomas' arms. He picked her up and kissed her.

_XXX_

It was the first time Adam was allowed to come over to Belle's house and they were hanging out in her room. He was sitting on her window seat and she was awkwardly walking around her room, trying to find something to keep herself distracted. She felt uncomfortable being in her bedroom with him after what he had done at the party. He had apologized for it a hundred times, but she was still hesitant.

"Would you stop pacing? You're making me nervous."

Belle glanced over at Adam. He had an amused look on his face. "_I'm _making _you _nervous?"

Adam stood up and walked over to her. Belle flinched slightly when he took her hand. "Belle, I know I crossed a line last weekend; but I promise I won't do it again. I don't know what came over me."

A loose strand of hair had fallen out of her ponytail and Belle tucked it behind her ear. "I know. I can't help it. It's just that lately you've been really physical in a lot of _not _good ways."

Adam dropped her hand and took a couple steps back. "I'm really sorry."

"So you've said."

A hurt look crossed his face. "Are you going to break up with me?"

Belle didn't say anything for a couple moments. She thought about what Tiana had said after school on Friday; she actually hadn't been able to stop thinking about it all weekend. She eventually convinced herself that Tiana was right and Aurora had been right all along. She asked Adam to come over with the intention of breaking up with him. But as soon as she saw him she lost her nerve. When everyone else thought about their relationship, they focused on the bad things. But, there were so many good things and that's why the words were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't bring herself to say them.

Adam lowered his head. "I understand, Belle."

Adam started to walk out of her room. Belle panicked and grabbed his arm before he made it to the hallway. He looked down at her. He was so sad that it broke Belle's heart.

"I'm not breaking up with you," Belle said quietly.

"But you want to?"

"Of course I don't _want _to. I guess I'm just letting everyone get in my head and it's making me confused."

"So, what _do _you want?"

Belle thought about it for a moment. "I want to go to prom with you."

Adam was clearly surprised by her response. "Are you sure?"

Belle nodded.

Adam put his hand on Belle's cheek and gently brushed his thumb over her lips. The touch made Belle's heart melt and race at the same time.

"Belle," Adam whispered. "Will you go to prom with me?"

Belle started to say yes, but Adam interrupted her by gently kissing her. He then pulled her into a hug.

"I will only be gentle when touching you, Belle. I'm never going to give you doubts again."

_XXX_

Pocahontas' stomach was filled with butterflies. John was holding her hand as they walked through the woods to the willow tree.

_This is it, _she thought. _John is going to ask me to prom. _

"Pocahontas, do you want-"

"Yes!" Pocahontas interrupted.

John raised an eyebrow at her. "You don't even know what I was going to ask you."

Pocahontas blushed. "You're right. Sorry; go ahead."

"Do you want me to help you study for the math final?"

Pocahontas literally felt her face fall in disappointment. "Oh. Um, sure."

"Are you all right?" John asked. "You look sad."

Pocahontas nodded. "I'm fine. I just thought you were going to ask me... something else."

"What did you think I was going to ask you?"

"Nothing. It was..." Pocahontas paused. "Stupid."

"I see."

Pocahontas bit her lip as she tried to think of a way to get them on the subject of prom. She cleared her throat. "Jack asked Sally to prom the other night. It's all she's been talking about all weekend. She wants me to go dress shopping with her."

"Oh yeah?"

Pocahontas waited for him to say something else before responding. "Yeah."

"Sounds fun."

Pocahontas looked up at him and studied his face. Nothing; it was completely blank. She resisted the urge to groan out loud in frustration. _Why won't he just ask me?_

"Thomas asked Meg to prom today," John said. "He had been planning how he was going to do it for over a week. I just don't see the point in all of it; it's just an over-priced school dance."

Pocahontas gaped at him. "It's not _just _a school dance. It's prom."

"Why is prom is such a big deal?"

Pocahontas was too disappointed to start a debate with him. She treated the question like it was rhetorical and just shrugged. Inside she wanted to slap him and tell him to stop being such a guy and be romantic for once in his life. But, before she knew it, John was on to the next topic and the subject of prom was dropped.


	88. Chapter 88

Aurora plopped down at her desk for first period Science. It had been a long week, but it was finally Friday. Only two more weeks until summer vacation. She pulled out her textbook and notebook, but made no attempt to open either of them. The closer it got to summer, the less motivated she got with school.

The bell rang and Dr. Doppler began review for the final. Finals were the last week of school, but all of the teachers had already begun reviewing. As Dr. Doppler passed out the review study guide, Philip came over the PA for the morning announcements.

"Good morning, everyone! Student council president Philip here! Only two more weeks 'till summer vacation!"

This was met with everyone in the classroom cheering. Even Dr. Doppler let out a small smile.

"As most of you know," Philip continued, "tomorrow is the annual dance/ cheerleading competition. Come support our girls and cheer them to victory."

"That's right, guys," Esmeralda said from her seat in the back of the classroom. "We're gonna kick Camelot's ass!" Dr. Doppler gave her a stern look. "I mean, we're totally going to win in a fair, clean competition..."

Dr. Doppler gave her an approving nod, then turned his attention back to the speak where Philip's voice was coming from.

"One more thing before I end the announcements and let you all get back to enjoying your first period class," Philip was saying.

A couple of people in Aurora's class groaned, but Dr. Doppler ignored them.

"Next Saturday night is prom. It's not too late to get your tickets. See the head of the dance committee, Rapunzel, to purchase them. And, while we're on the subject..." Philip paused. "Aurora, will you go to prom with me?"

Everyone in the class turned to look at Aurora and she blushed."

Dr. Doppler motioned towards the intercom button that paged into the office. "I think that young man is waiting for your response, Aurora."

Aurora slowly stood up and walked over to the speaker. She pressed the button. "I would love to go to prom with you, Philip."

A few seconds later Philip came back over the PA. "She said yes!" he announced.

_XXX_

While Charlotte talked excitedly about going to prom with John Rolfe, Ariel glanced over at the table where Rapunzel was selling the prom tickets. Eric still hadn't asked her to prom and she wasn't sure if he was going to. They had never been to a dance together and she couldn't remember ever seeing Eric at a school dance. Did he even go to school dances? Maybe he had no intention of going to prom. Ariel wasn't sure if that bothered her. On the one hand, going to prom with Eric would be fun, but going to prom without him would suck. So, if he didn't want to go, then neither did she.

"Hey, Ariel!" Aurora greeted, walking up to the table.

"Hello," Ariel replied.

"Mrs. Rabbit said she wants to see you. Something about going over your solo before the concert Wednesday night."

"Oh okay. Thanks, Aurora." Ariel picked up her lunch tray and stood up.

Aurora gave her a smile before walking away and joining Belle at their usual table. Ariel threw away her lunch and made her way to the choir room. When she got there, she pushed opened the door and was surprised that it was completely dark.

"Hello? Mrs. Rabbit?" Ariel called out.

No one replied. Ariel frowned. _Maybe Aurora was mistaken._ Ariel turned to walk out of the room, but the room was suddenly lit up in a soft glow. She turned around. The lights shining on the wall looked like water reflections. Ariel smiled as she looked around. The whole room looked like she was under water. There was even a bubble machine set up on the floor. A bubble floated towards her and she held out her hand. It popped on her finger tips and she giggled.

"Hey there, little mermaid."

Ariel looked up to see Eric step out from a shadowy corner. She smiled at him. "Hi."

Eric walked over to her and took her hands. "Go to prom with me, Ariel."

She nodded and Eric kissed her. Ariel couldn't help smiling as she felt the bubbles surround them.

_XXX_

"What about this one?" Jasmine stepped out of the fitting room and modeled the dress she had tried on.

Esmeralda made a face. "No way."

Jasmine frowned as she looked down at the blue dress. "Why not?"

"It's too..." Esmeralda circled her hands in the air as she tried to find the word she was looking for. "Poofy."

"Aren't prom dresses supposed to be poofy?"

"Maybe when it's a regular prom, but this is a masquerade ball. You gotta look mysterious."

Jasmine thought for a moment. "Red?"

Esmeralda shook her head. She jumped up from the chair she was sitting in and disappeared back in the store. Jasmine sighed and leaned against the door frame of the fitting room stall. Esmeralda returned a couple minutes later holding a long, form fitting dress. It was dark red with black lace. It had a corset top with off the shoulder sleeves and a small train at the bottom. Esmeralda handed the dress to Jasmine, then held out a pair of black high heeled boots and a black lace masquerade mask.

"Put these on," Esmeralda instructed.

Jasmine did as she was told. After she put the dress on- which fit perfectly- she slipped the mask over her eyes and checked her reflection. She had to admit she looked great. She opened the stall door and stepped out.

"Perfect!" Esmeralda cried out. "You're getting all of that. Let's see Aladdin refuse taking your virginity in that."

Jasmine blushed. "Esmeralda, that's not the goal of prom night."

"Well, considering he'll be leaving a week later, it should be."

Jasmine groaned and pulled off her mask. "Don't remind me."

"Sorry. New subject." Esmeralda reached behind her and took a dress off the rack. "What do you think of this one for me?"

The dress was also long and form fitting. It was black and white striped with a halter top. It was a little unconventional, since it looked more gothic than what Esmeralda usually wore, but it was still pretty.

"It'll look good on you," Jasmine told her.

"Good. Unlike you, I actually _want _my boyfriend to sleep with me on prom night."

"Phoebus won't be able to refuse you."


	89. Chapter 89

Rapunzel watched nervously as Camelot's team performed for the competition. They were really good. Their routine was unique and fun and the girls' timing was perfect. A huge crowd had gathered to watch the competition and everyone was cheering for them.

"God, I hate them," Jasmine muttered from beside Rapunzel. She had been quiet the whole time and Rapunzel nearly forgot she was there.

After being kicked off the team, both Rapunzel and Jasmine weren't planning on going to the competition, but at the last minute Jasmine called Rapunzel and told her they should go to support the team; despite how they felt about Helga.

Rapunzel and Jasmine had never been good friends, but she had to admit hanging out with Jasmine wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. Although, Rapunzel wasn't sure why she had been nervous about spending time with her.

"I hope Fiona falls and breaks her neck," Jasmine muttered as Fiona was thrown up into the air.

Oh yeah. That's why.

"This year _has _to be our year," Rapunzel said.

"_Our _year?" Jasmine repeated. "We're not on the team anymore."

"I meant 'our' as in our school."

Jasmine nodded. "Personally, I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, after the semester Esmeralda has been having, she deserves this win. They all do. Except Helga. Part of me wants us to lose just so Helga never has the satisfaction of winning."

"I can understand that," Rapunzel said.

When Camelot's team finished, everyone erupted into loud cheering. Some of the crowd even gave them a standing ovation. Jasmine crossed her arms over her chest and glared at them.

"Next up," the announcer called out over the speakers, "the Andalasia Dragons!"

Rapunzel clapped and cheered. She watched as her friends ran out onto the large stage. They immediately took position and waited for the music to start. When it did, Rapunzel and Jasmine watched them carefully, going over the routine in their own heads. So far, they were nailing it perfectly. Rapunzel stole a glance at the judges. Two of them were watching the routine while the third was writing something down.

When their routine was over, Rapunzel and Jasmine sprung to their feet and started cheering. After a couple more routines, the judges make their choice and the announcer stepped onto the stage. A mic stand was placed in front of him and he held up an envelope.

"This year's first runner-up is..." He paused as he opened the envelope. "The Camelot Knights!"

Rapunzel and Jasmine cheered in relief.

"And the winner is..." Rapunzel and Jasmine gripped each other's hands and leaned forward in anticipation. "The Anadalasia Dragons!"

Rapunzel and Jasmine screamed in excitement. They got to their feet and cheered along with the rest of the crowd. Helga stepped forward and took the trophy. The rest of the team gathered around her and they held it up.

"Andalasia is number one!" They shouted.

"Andalasia is number one!" the crowd shouted back.

Rapunzel hugged Jasmine. "We're number one! We did it! We actually won!"

_XXX _

Esmeralda smiled out at the large crowd in front of her. They did it. She did it. They finally won. The team basked in the glory for a little bit longer before running off the stage.

"Can you believe it?" Charlotte cried out. "We won!"

"Good job, team," Helga said. "Let's get changed and get ready to leave. Meet back at the bus in twenty minutes."

The competition was held in one of the school's auditorium and they were assigned the fitting rooms to change in. Esmeralda changed quickly and fixed her makeup and hair. She then grabbed her duffel bag and headed towards the parking lot.

"Excuse me, Esmeralda?"

Esmeralda spun around when she felt a hand grab her shoulder. A woman wearing a short, pinstriped dress was standing behind her. Esmeralda thought she looked vaguely familiar, though she was sure she had never met her.

"Yes?"

"You helped choreograph that routine, correct?"

"Yes."

"It was very good."

"Thank you."

The woman nodded. "And, I must say, you're an incredibly talented dancer."

"Thank you. It's been a passion of mine for a while."

"It shows." The woman held out her hand. "I'm Tzipporah."

Esmeralda hesitantly shook her hand. Then it dawned on her why she looked familiar. "You're _the _Tzipporah. You're the one who does the choreography for musicians' shows and music videos."

Tzipporah smiled and handed Esmeralda her business card. "I also hire dancers for shows and music videos. I would really like to work with you this summer, Esmeralda."

Esmeralda stared at her. "With _me_?"

Tzipporah laughed. "Yes. Like I said; you're very talented. I'm filming a couple music videos this summer in New York and I can definitely use your talent. Take some time to think about it and get back to me."

"I... I will. Thank you."

"Now, with you being a minor, you have to get your parents' permission. Let them know all expenses will be paid for, so they can't use money as an excuse not to let you go."

"Thank you so much."

"I'll see you in a couple weeks, Esmeralda." Tzipporah gave her one more smile and then walked away.

Esmeralda just stared at the business card; the only proof that that had actually just happened. _The _Tzipporah wanted _her _to be in music videos. This could be huge for Esmeralda; a once in a lifetime opportunity. Not to mention all of the doors it could open up for her and her future as a dancer. And maybe, if she was lucky, she could earn enough money to pay her own for college instead of making Jasmine pay for her.

Jasmine. Esmeralda couldn't wait to tell Jasmine what just happened. She pulled out her phone to call her, but stopped when a sudden realization made her heart sink. What if her parents weren't totally convinced she was better and made her go to rehab this summer?


	90. Chapter 90

Prom was less than a week away and John _still _hadn't asked Pocahontas to go. Pocahontas wasn't sure what to do at this point. Was John planning on not going? Was it just supposed to be assumed they were going together?

Pocahontas let out a frustrated groan collapsed face first on her bed. _Stupid boys, _she thought.

Someone knocked on her bedroom door.

"Come in!" Pocahontas called out, her voice muffled from her face being pressed against the bed.

The door opened and Pocahontas sat up to see her aunt walk in. She had a dress bag draped over her arm.

"What's that?" Pocahontas asked her, pointing at the bag.

Her aunt smiled at her. "I took Nakoma dress shopping for prom today. We saw this and knew it would be perfect for you."

She unzipped the bag, took the dress out and held it up for Pocahontas to see. Pocahontas had to admit it _was _perfect. It was strapless and form fitting. The whole thing was made of a beautiful sheer, golden brown lacey fabric. The modest top and bottom of the skirt were a darker shade while the rest was a lighter, almost tan, color.

"It's beautiful. Thank you." Pocahontas didn't have the heart to tell her that she may not even be going to prom.

"I'm glad you like it. I also got you this." Her aunt held out a small box that Pocahontas hadn't even noticed she was holding.

Pocahontas took it from her and slowly opened it. Inside was a golden brown mask that matched her dress. "Thank you."

Her aunt gave her a hug. "John won't even know what hit him."

The doorbell rang throughout the house and her aunt went to answer the door. Pocahontas stared at the dress that was now hanging on her closet door. She really hated thinking it would go to waste.

"Pocahontas!" her aunt called out. "You have a friend here to see you."

Pocahontas sighed and made her way to the door. She was surprised to see John standing in the doorway.

"Hey," he greeted, flatly. "Can we talk?"

Pocahontas nodded and stepped outside, closing the door behind her.

"Look," John began, "I've been thinking about this whole prom thing."

"Oh yeah?"

John nodded and ran his hand through his hair. "Here's the thing; I wanted to plan some romantic way of asking you to go with me, but everything I came up with just felt fake and forced. So, I figured I'd just straight up ask you. So, will you go to prom with me?"

Pocahontas stared at him for a moment. He had barely taken a breath making that all sound like one long sentence and it took her a second to realize he had just asked her to prom. She smiled at him. "Well it's about time you asked me, Mr. Smith. Of course I'll go with you."

_XXX_

"I think this is it. This is the one!" Ariel announced from her dressing room.

Before stepping out to show off the dress, she took one last look at her reflection. She managed to find the most stunning mermaid dress. The bodice was strapless and the dress hugged her body tightly. The bottom of the dress was layered and gradually fanned out until it reached the floor. The dress had an ombre color scheme; starting with turquoise and gradually flowing into darker shades of blue. She completed the look with dark blue, full-length gloves and a blue and yellow mask with a dark blue feather on the side. It was a daring look for her, but it was her first prom and first masquerade and she wanted to take a little bit of a risk.

Ariel took a deep breath and stepped out of the dressing room. Her father was sitting in one of the waiting chairs and stood up when he saw her. He stared at her for a few moments and Ariel started to feel self conscious.

"You don't like it?" Ariel asked meekly.

Triton smiled at his daughter. "I love it. You look beautiful."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Thank you for taking me shopping, daddy. I'm sure you have other things you'd rather be doing than sitting in the waiting room of a dress store all day," Ariel said.

Triton took her hand. "You're growing up so fast, Ariel. Sometimes I feel like I'm missing it. But, I didn't want to miss my youngest daughter getting her first prom dress."

Ariel smiled at him. "You haven't missed anything, daddy."

"You haven't even told me if you have a date for prom."

"Eric asked me. You remember him, right?"

"Of course. The fisherman."

"Yeah."

Triton cleared his throat. "Listen, Ariel. I know the expectations most boys have for their dates on prom night and I-"

"Whoa, daddy! That's not... Eric isn't like that. You don't have anything to worry about."

"That's what Adella said..." her dad muttered.

"I'm not Adella. Eric and I aren't going to hook up on prom night."

"Hook up..." he repeated slowly. "It's times like these I wish your mom was here."

Ariel gave him a reassuring smile. "You're doing fine, daddy. Don't worry."

_XXX_

Thirteen days and counting. In just under two weeks Aladdin would be moving. Aladdin and Jasmine didn't want to think about it, so they went to Pleasure Island to get their minds off it. It wasn't working. At least, not for Jasmine; it was _all _she could think about.

"Cotton candy?" Aladdin asked, holding out the cotton candy to her.

Jasmine had just recently learned that Aladdin's guilty pleasure was cotton candy. He had been snacking on it for the last couple minutes; it was mostly gone now and his tongue was now stained blue. Jasmine took a piece and stuck it in her mouth as she watched him finish off the rest of it.

"What do you wanna do now?" Aladdin asked.

Jasmine forced herself to be in the moment. "Um... The midway games?"

Aladdin smiled at her. "I like your thinking."

He took her hand and led her to the games. The first one they came to was a pie throwing game. They waited for a little boy to take his turn. He picked up one of the pies and threw it, but it fell short of the target. He tried a couple more times, but never got close. The man working behind the counter gave him a small stuffed animal anyway. When it was their turn, Aladdin handed the man some money and they each picked up a pie. Aladdin hit the bull's eye, but Jasmine's pie barely hit the side of the target.

"Hey, babe," Aladdin said, trying to get her attention.

Jasmine looked over at him. "What?"

Aladdin swiped his finger over the topping of the pie and then wiped the whipped cream on the tip of Jasmine's nose. "You need to relax."

Jasmine raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you sure you want to start this?"

"Start what?" he asked innocently.

Jasmine scooped up some of the whipped cream off the pie next to her and smeared it over Aladdin's face. Aladdin laughed and picked up his whole pie.

"No!" Jasmine cried out, laughing. "Don't you dare!" She quickly grabbed her pie and held it up, ready to strike. "Put it down, Aladdin," she warned.

"Or what, princess?"

Without thinking, Jasmine threw her pie at him. It hit him square on the chest and the slid down the front of his shirt before landing with a _plop _on the ground. Aladdin stumbled back, slightly, caught off guard. Jasmine took this opportunity to steal his pie out of his hand.

"Surrender!" Jasmine demanded.

"Never!" Aladdin moved towards her.

"Hey!" the man behind the counter called out. "You kids aren't supposed to-"

Jasmine ignored him. As soon as Aladdin was close enough, she smashed the pie in his face.

Aladdin laughed. "Okay. Truce!"

"Okay." Jasmine set the tin back down on the counter.

Aladdin wiped the pie off his eyes and then gave Jasmine a flirty smile. "Give me a hug."

"Yeah right! I don't want to get pie all over me."

Aladdin grabbed her and forced his body against hers, getting pie on her clothes. He then pulled her into a kiss. She kissed him back, but when she pulled away she had pie smeared over her face.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: Pocahontas' and Ariel's dresses were designed by Hannah Hood. You can see her designs on my Facebook page (link on my profile).<strong>

**I'm getting closer to the end of this story. Only ten chapters left.**


	91. Chapter 91

Prom was less than a week away. Six days to be exact- according to Aurora's countdown. She had been counting down to prom since the school year started. Belle was just planning on wearing one of the dresses she already had for prom, but Aurora had been downright horrified when Belle told her. Aurora immediately insisted on taking Belle shopping for a new dress.

So, here it was; Sunday afternoon and instead of going horseback riding like they usually do, they're at the mall. When they got there, they ran into Tiana and Jane at one of the dress stores and the four of them were now shopping together.

"I'm getting this and you can't talk me out of it," Jane announced from her fitting room stall.

Belle stuck her head out of her own stall to see Jane's dress. It wasn't a conventional prom dress, but not much about Jane was conventional. The dress was a classic blue and white Victorian style dress, with a high collar and slightly puffy sleeves. It looked super cute on her, but there was no way anyone else could pull it off.

"That's a good look for you," Tiana said, coming out of her stall. She was wearing a green flapper-style dress and was adjusting the ruffles on the skirt. "What do you think of this one?"

"Get it," Belle and Jane said in unison.

Tiana smiled and admired her reflection. "It _does _look good, doesn't it?"

"Let me see!" Aurora called out from her stall. A moment later she came out wearing a dark pink, off-the-shoulder dress. "Oh, yeah. Get it! It's _so _you."

"Are you getting that one?" Jane asked Aurora.

Aurora nodded. "It's perfect."

"Your turn, Belle," Tiana said. "Let's see your dress."

Belle disappeared back in her stall. "Um, give me a sec."

Belle still wasn't sure if she liked the dress Aurora picked out for her. The dress itself was beautiful; yellow with a flowing, full-length skirt. It had a corset top with red roses draping across the front like a gorgeous sash. But, Aurora insisted that Belle get a size smaller than what she usually wears, thus showing off her curves and making the corset give her a little bit of cleavage. Belle didn't think she could pull off the look.

"Come on, Belle!" Aurora called.

Belle slipped on the matching, full-length gloves and stepped out to show her friends the dress. They all stared at her for a moment, but then a huge grin spread across Aurora's face.

"I knew it would be perfect for you," she said.

"You look like a movie star," Jane agreed. "Just wait 'till Adam sees you."

_XXX_

Esmeralda had been practicing her speech on how to bring up New York to her parents. She was confident she had it down and there was no way they could refuse. Still, she paced nervously around her room until her mom called out that lunch was ready. Esmeralda took a deep breath and made her way to the kitchen. She joined her family at the table, taking her usual seat across from Clopin.

They all ate their Caesar salads and chicken sandwiches in silence. Esmeralda had quickly lost her nerve and every word of her rehearsed speech disappeared. Still, she knew she had to bring it up now since she was supposed to be leaving in a couple weeks.

Esmeralda cleared her throat. "Mom? Dad? There's something I want to talk to you about."

"What is it?" her dad asked.

"Well, um, at the competition yesterday, I was offered a summer job." _Good start, _Esmeralda told herself.

"What kind of job?" her mom asked.

Esmeralda looked down and poked her salad with her fork. "Dancing in music videos... in New York."

Esmeralda felt everyone staring at her and could hear them telling her no before they even said anything.

"Who offered you this job?" her mom finally asked.

"This really incredible choreographer, Tzipporah. She choreographs dance routines for concerts and music videos. And she really liked _my_ routine."

"I've heard that name," her father said.

"Of course you have; she's worked with everybody," Esmeralda told him. "Please, let me do this. This could be a huge opportunity for me. And it would only be for the summer, so I won't be missing any school. Think of it like an internship."

"I don't know about this, Esmeralda..." her dad started. "This could be a scam. They could take advantage of you."

"Your dad's right," her mom stated. "So, I will go with you."

Esmeralda's grew wide with excitement. "Are you serious?"

"Yes. You're right; this could be really good for you and you've certainly showed a lot of hard work and dedication with Mulan. I think you deserve to go."

_XXX_

Dress shopping had been a pain in the ass. Meg couldn't believe she had let Thomas talk her into going to the mall with him, Rapunzel and Flynn. Meg ended up getting a simple black dress with dark purple accents at the first store they went to. But, Rapunzel had to go to every single store that sold dresses and finally decided on a full-skirted pink and purple dress that was the quintessential prom dress.

When they had gotten their dresses, Meg thought they could finally leave, but no. Rapunzel and Thomas insisted they eat dinner at one of the restaurants. Meg tried to come up with an excuse about needing to get home, but they didn't buy it.

So, now she was sitting in a dimly lit pizza restaurant tuning out Rapunzel and Flynn as they talked about their prom plans. The whole thing, in Meg's mind, was ridiculous. Was it really necessary to pay extra for a limo when Flynn has his own car? And what was she rambling about right now? A corsage? What a silly tradition. She didn't envy the money Flynn was going to have to shell out for all of this.

Meg leaned closer to Thomas. "You don't have to get a limo or corsage," she told him.

Thomas looked at her. "Are you sure? I'm pretty sure that's standard for prom."

Meg made a face. "Don't waste your money."

Thomas gave her an amused look. "And what if I want to spoil you?"

"Do you?"

Thomas leaned back and rested his arm on the back of their booth. "I might."

Meg shook her head. "Don't. If you really want to make Saturday night memorable..." she leaned closer and lowered her voice. "Make out with me in front of everyone."

Thomas quickly sat up and was instantly kissing her. He slid his arm off the back of the booth and wrapped it around her. Meg gripped the sleeve of his shirt and didn't let got, even when he broke the kiss.

"Like that?" he whispered.

Meg resisted the giddy giggle that was threatening to escape from her throat. "Yeah. Like that."

* * *

><p><strong>Note: Jane's, Tiana's, Aurora's, Belle's, Rapunzel's and Meg's dresses were designed by Hannah Hood. You can see her designs on my Facebook page (link on my profile).<strong>

**Only nine chapters left...**


	92. Chapter 92

Aurora wasn't sure who was more nervous about this choir concert; her or Ariel. Aurora had been helping Ariel with her solo as often as she could. But, at their last practice Ariel had been so timid that her voice sounded strained and cracked on the high notes. Mrs. Rabbit knew Aurora had been helping Ariel and that's what was making Aurora nervous. Mrs. Rabbit offered Aurora the position of assistant director for the musical next year and Aurora was afraid if the teacher saw that Aurora failed at helping Ariel rehearse for the concert, then she would take back her offer. Who wants an assistant director who can't even help one person with one song?

"This is so boring," Philip whispered to Aurora as they watched the concert.

Aurora looked at him. "I know. I'm sorry. I just really need the moral support."

"What for? You're not singing up there?"

Aurora was about to tell him, yet again, what could be riding on Ariel's solo, but she was interrupted by Mrs. Rabbit speaking into the microphone.

"Good evening, everyone!" Mrs. Rabbit announced in her sultry, but peppy voice. "Thank you all for coming to our show tonight. Before we end this evening, we have one more song for you. A special treat, in fact. Ariel is going to sing her very first solo for all of you."

As Ariel stepped down from the risers, a couple of people started clapping for her. Mrs. Rabbit sat down at the piano and started playing.

Ariel took a deep breath and began to sing:

_"There's a hero_  
><em> If you look inside your heart<em>  
><em> You don't have to be afraid<em>  
><em> Of what you are<em>  
><em> There's an answer<em>  
><em> If you reach into your soul<em>  
><em> And the sorrow that you know<em>  
><em> Will melt away"<em>

She was hitting every note perfectly and was sounding great that Aurora no longer felt nervous. But, then Ariel hesitated at the end of the first verse. She looked so scared; like she'd rather be anywhere in the world but here. For a second, Aurora thought she might actually retreat. But, then Ariel's eyes locked on Eric's and he gave her a reassuring smile. Ariel smiled back and continued singing.

_"And then a hero comes along_  
><em> With the strength to carry on<em>  
><em> And you cast your fears aside<em>  
><em> And you know you can survive<em>  
><em> So when you feel like hope is gone<em>  
><em> Look inside you and be strong<em>  
><em> And you'll finally see the truth<em>  
><em> That a hero lies in you<em>

_ It's a long road_  
><em> When you face the world alone<em>  
><em> No one reaches out a hand<em>  
><em> For you to hold<em>  
><em> You can find love<em>  
><em> If you search within yourself<em>  
><em> And the emptiness you felt<em>  
><em> Will disappear<em>

_And then a hero comes along_  
><em> With the strength to carry on<em>  
><em> And you cast your fears aside<em>  
><em> And you know you can survive<em>  
><em> So when you feel like hope is gone<em>  
><em> Look inside you and be strong<em>  
><em> And you'll finally see the truth<em>  
><em> That a hero lies in you<em>

_Lord knows_  
><em> Dreams are hard to follow<em>  
><em> But don't let anyone<em>  
><em> Tear them away<em>  
><em> Hold on<em>  
><em> There will be tomorrow<em>  
><em> In time<em>  
><em> You'll find the way<em>

_And then a hero comes along_  
><em> With the strength to carry on<em>  
><em> And you cast your fears aside<em>  
><em> And you know you can survive<em>  
><em> So when you feel like hope is gone<em>  
><em> Look inside you and be strong<em>  
><em> And you'll finally see the truth<em>  
><em> That a hero lies in you<em>

_That a hero lies in you..."_

The instant Ariel finished her song, Aurora and Eric were on their feet and cheering. Behind them, Aurora heard Ariel's father and sisters whistling cheering loudly. Soon, the entire room was clapping for Ariel.

Ariel blushed and gave them a small wave. Mrs. Rabbit joined Ariel at the mic to say good night to everyone. After the concert, Eric and Ariel's father each gave her a bouquet of flowers.

"Oh, God; I was so nervous," Ariel said, holding the flowers against her chest as if they were a shield.

"We could tell," Aquata told her. "I thought you were gonna faint."

"You were great, sis," Alana said.

"Now that it's all over, how do you feel?" Eric asked.

"After the initial fear finally wore off, it was actually a lot of fun," Ariel replied. "Snow White is definitely going to have some competition next year."

_XXX_

Rapunzel played out the last few measures of the song she had been writing for prom, then jotted some notes down on the sheet music. She replayed the end of the song with the changes and then smiled to herself. It was finally ready. She had been working hard on the song the last couple weeks and she was beginning to think she wouldn't finish in time. But then Wednesday after school inspiration struck. Mrs. Rabbit let her use the drama department's piano to work on it and it paid off.

The sound of clapping from the beside the stage startled Rapunzel. She looked up to see Flynn jump on stage.

"What are you doing here?" Rapunzel asked him.

"Checking on you. It's eight o'clock; you've been in here for five hours."

Rapunzel blushed, although she wasn't sure why. "Has it been that long already? Oh no! Did I miss the choir concert?"

Flynn nodded and sat down beside her. "How's it coming?"

"I think I'm finally done."

Flynn read over the music and frowned.

"What's the matter?" she asked. "Is it bad?"

"This song is written as a duet," Flynn pointed out.

Rapunzel gave Flynn a toothy grin. "Surprise! You're gonna be singing with me."

Flynn's laughter was so loud, it echoed through the auditorium. "That's not happening."

"Hey! You're the one who got me into this; it's only fair that you have to do it, too."

"No way! I don't sing."

"You do now. You ready for our first rehearsal?"

Flynn gave his girlfriend a wary look. "You know what? I just remembered I have a _ton _of homework to do. I should really get going."

"You don't_ do_ homework, Flynn Rider."

"Exactly. I have a whole semester of homework to catch up on before school ends next week."

Rapunzel grabbed his arm before he could slide off the piano bench and make a run for it. "Get back here. This was _your _idea."

"For _you_. I'm not a singer."

"Well, this song has to be a duet. So, I guess I'll just have to get another guy sing with me... Ya know, I bet Naveen would do it."

Flynn's face fell. "Naveen?"

Rapunzel nodded. "Yeah, but don't worry; it'll be strictly business. Although, I mean, it _is _a romantic song and we all know Naveen's reputation..." She shrugged. "I'm sure nothing will happen."

Flynn stared at her for a moment, then ran his hands over his face and groaned. "You're killin' me, Smalls."

Rapunzel tried to remain serious, but she knew her little teasing had worked. "It's your call, Flynn."

"Fine! I'll do it."

* * *

><p><strong>Note: The song Ariel sang is <em>Hero <em>by Mariah Carey.**

**Only eight chapters left...**


	93. Chapter 93

When Pocahontas heard the doorbell ring, she couldn't help getting butterflies in her stomach. It was finally prom night and John was here to pick her up! Someone answered the door and Pocahontas was just about to go rescue John from whoever was interrogating him, when her aunt came into her room.

"Your father is on the phone," she stated.

Pocahontas quietly groaned. "Now? Can't I call him back tomorrow?" Her aunt shook her head. Pocahontas took the phone. "Hello?"

"Pocahontas, I just got off the phone with Kocoum. He tells me you're going out with a boy he does not approve of."

"You've got to be kidding me! John is a nice guy. I don't know what Kocoum's problem is-"

"Pocahontas! I have asked Kocoum to look out for you when I'm not there and if he thinks this boy is no good, then I have to trust him on it."

"But, father-"

"No buts. I am forbidding you to go out with that boy. I've already informed your aunt. She tells me you were supposed to go to prom with him, but I told you're not allowed to go."

Pocahontas felt her jaw drop. "That's not fair!"

"Don't argue with me. I've made my decision."

"I'm going to prom with John Smith and you can't stop me."

"If you continue to see that boy, you _will _regret it, Pocahontas."

Pocahontas hung up on her dad and threw the phone onto her bed.

"I'm sorry, Pocahontas." Her aunt picked up the phone. "But, I have to respect what your father says." Without another word, she walked out of the bedroom.

Pocahontas went over to her window, just in time to see John making his way to his car. Without thinking, Pocahontas opened her window and jumped out. She stumbled a little bit and twisted her ankle, but she hurried towards John's car. She snuck into the backseat just as John got into the front seat.

"Don't freak out," Pocahontas said.

John jumped and looked back at her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to prom with my boyfriend."

_XXX_

"This is so romantic," Esmeralda stated as she and Phoebus slow danced together.

He smiled down at her. "Yeah."

"I can't believe it's already prom. This semester has been crazy."

"Crazy good," Phoebus said. "A lot has happened, but it brought us to this moment and I'm so glad we're together."

Esmeralda laughed a little. "You're so cheesy, but I love it."

Phoebus pulled her closer. "I'm serious. I've lost you twice since last summer and I honestly didn't think we'd be going to prom together."

Esmeralda forced a smile, but didn't say anything. A guilty feeling dropped in the pit of her stomach. She still hadn't told Phoebus that she was going to New York for the summer. She wanted to wait and tell him and Jasmine at the same time. She _had _been excited about it, but now, after hearing Phoebus say that, she was kind of dreading it. He would be losing her again. And, as she learned last summer, a lot can happen over summer vacation. What if they drifted apart? What if Phoebus couldn't handle the long distance and broke up with her? What if he found someone else? Esmeralda's head was suddenly spinning. She hadn't thought of any of these possibilities before.

"Are you all right?" Phoebus asked her.

"Yeah. I'm just a little dizzy."

"Wanna sit down?"

Esmeralda nodded and started to lead Phoebus to their table. But, Phoebus stopped her.

"Actually," he said, "I got us a room."

Esmeralda's eyebrows shot up. "You got us a hotel room?"

Phoebus nodded and smiled mischievously at her . "It _is _prom night, after all."

"So, you and I are actually going to...?"

"Only if you want to."

"I want to."

Esmeralda's heart was racing as she and Phoebus left the ballroom and got into the elevators. She was about to make love for the first time. And, for the first time, she was actually nervous.

_XXX_

"This punch is so good," Ariel told Charlotte.

Charlotte glanced down at her own cup that was sitting barely touched on the table. "Really? It kinda tasted like watered-down Kool-Aid to me."

Ariel shrugged and downed the rest of hers. "Where's Eric? I wanna dance."

Ariel scanned the crowd for her date but, to her dismay, only spotted Snow White walking towards her.

"Having a good time?" Snow White asked, in her fake sweet tone.

Though, for some reason, Ariel wasn't bothered by her rival's presence. She was feeling too good to let Snow White ruin her night. She stood up so she was eye level with Snow White. "Yes I am, actually. Though, I'm curious; are _you _having a good time without a date? I mean, who comes to prom without a date? That's pret-ty pathectic, Snow."

Snow White crossed her arms over her chest. "And I'm curious as to where all of your courage is coming from. What happened to mousy, little Ariel?"

Ariel didn't have a response. Snow White was right. Normally, there would be no way Ariel would have the guts to stand up to anyone.

"Could it be your choir solo has boosted your confidence? Or could it be... something else?" Snow White frowned. "Wait. Is that alcohol I smell?"

"That's ridiculous," Ariel spat. "I haven't been drinking."

"Are you sure?"

"All I've has is this punch Cinderella gave me."

"Cinderella? You mean, my best friend...?" A wicked grin crossed Snow White's face.

"What did you do?" Charlotte demanded.

Snow White shrugged, then a look of mock concern clouded her face. "Principal Clayton!"

Ariel's face paled. What was happening?

Principal Clayton, walked over to the girls. "What is it, Snow White?"

"Ariel has been drinking."

The principal gave Ariel a stern look. "Is this true?"

"No!" Ariel cried.

Principal Clayton sighed in annoyance. "Ariel, I can smell the alcohol on your breath."

"That's her cup there," Snow White told him.

Principal Clayton picked up the cup and sniffed it. "Ariel, alcohol is strictly prohibited."

"But, I didn't-"

"I'm gonna need you to come with me. I'm going to call your parents to come pick you up."

"No, please!" Ariel pleaded. "Snow White set me up!"

"That is enough! You are to leave the prom at once and you are suspended for two days."

* * *

><p><strong>Only 7 chapters left and I've already begun brainstorming for the sequel. Friend me on Facebook (link on profile) to send me requests for what you'd like to see happen in their senior year. And to let me know which secondary characters you would like to see more of.<strong>


	94. Chapter 94

"Everything is perfect," Aurora sighed. "I can't believe we're finally here- at prom!"

Philip smiled and held her close as they slow-danced. "So, you're having a good time?"

"The best."

Aurora rested her head on Philip's shoulder and closed her eyes. She was grateful for him. With all the drama that had happened over this last semester with Belle, Ariel and her other friends, she was glad things had been smooth for her and Philip the whole time. Who said high school had to be full of drama all the time?

And right now everything really was perfect. They would announce Prom King and Queen soon and if she won that would be a bonus; but if she didn't, it wouldn't make this night any less perfect. She had been looking forward to prom most of her life and now she was here with the best boyfriend ever.

And her best friend wasn't too far.

Things had certainly been rocky with Belle and Adam all semester, but Aurora had to admit Belle looked really happy with Adam tonight and Aurora was happy for her.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Philip asked.

Aurora opened her eyes and smiled at him. "I'm just happy."

Philip kissed her. "Me, too."

"And tonight is just the beginning. We get to spend every day of the summer together when we go on vacation to see my mom," Aurora said, getting excited just thinking about it.

"I've actually been meaning to ask you about that. Are you _sure _your mom and Belle don't mind me tagging along? I mean, it's usually just you girls every summer; I don't want to intrude."

Aurora straightened up to look at him. "Sweetheart, I already told you they don't mind. Belle's even bringing Adam. Why do you keep asking? Do you not want to go anymore?"

Philip laughed. "Of course I want to go. I just want to make sure everything's going to be okay."

Aurora smiled. "Everything is going to be great."

_XXX_

The slow song ended, but it was obvious that Adam didn't want to let go of Belle. Truth be told: she didn't want him to, either.

"Can we go somewhere to talk privately?" Adam asked.

"Um... I guess." Belle didn't want to leave prom, but she could tell something was weighing on Adam's mind.

Adam led her out of the ballroom and into the dim hallway.

"What's wrong?" Belle asked him.

"Nothing's wrong." Adam leaned forward and gently kissed Belle. His lips lingered on hers for several moments, before he started to kiss her forehead, then her cheek and finally her neck.

Belle sighed in spite of herself. "Adam," she whispered. "I thought you wanted to talk..."

Adam kissed her lips again and then straightened up. "I do."

"Okay... What about?"

Adam took her hands in his and kissed them. "Belle, you really mean a lot to me. I know sometimes it may not seem like it, but I honestly believe that you've helped me become a much better person. I love you and every day that I'm with you, I want to be better. I want to be the guy you deserve."

"Adam, you know I love for who you are; you don't have to change for me."

"But, I want to. You have no idea how grateful I am to you for not giving up on me. You deserve so much more than I've given you. You've changed my life."

"You've changed mine, too. You're my first love."

Adam smiled at her. "I'm so lucky you agreed to tutor me that day."

"You _are _lucky; I was supposed to tutor Gaston right before you, but he didn't show up. Who knows how things could have played out if he _had _shown up." Belle winked at him.

Adam shook his head. "You think you're funny, don't you?"

"Maybe a little..."

Adam picked Belle up and held on to her tightly. They kissed for a few moments before having to come for air.

Belle kissed the tip of his nose. "No guy could ever stand a chance against you."

_XXX_

"Meg."

Meg didn't want to turn around. She knew Hercules was standing behind her and she did not want him to ruin her night. It just figured he would show up the second Thomas went to get them drinks; he had been probably watching them all night, waiting to pounce.

Eventually Meg gave in and turned in her seat to look up at her ex boyfriend. "Not tonight, Hercules. Can't you leave me alone for one night?"

Hercules sat down in Thomas' seat. "I really need to talk to you."

"Not. Tonight." Meg stood up and started walking away, but Hercules went after her and grabbed her arm.

"Meg, please? There's something I really need to tell you. It's about Helga; she knows about-"

Meg pulled her arm free. "Enough!" she hissed. "Tonight is supposed to be a special night and I don't want anything to do with you or Helga."

"Meg, you don't understand-"

"Good evening, everyone!" Principal Clayton announced in to the microphone on stage. "It's time to announce this year's Prom King and Queen." He pulled out an envelope and read it. "Your Prom King is... Hercules!"

Cheers rang out through the ballroom. A spotlight searched the crowd until it found Hercules. Hercules gave her a pleading look, but Meg just stepped out of his spotlight and went to find Thomas.

Once Hercules was on the stage and crowned, Principal Clayton announced that the Prom Queen was Helga. Meg wasn't surprised. She found Thomas near Rapunzel's and Flynn's table. Without a word, she grabbed him and pulled him to the dance floor. A large circle of space had been cleared for Hercules and Helga for their king and queen dance, but Meg ignored it. She led Thomas into the clearing, then pulled him close.

Thomas didn't seem to mind. He wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her against him, and took her right hand in his. Meg could feel Hercules' eyes on them the whole time, but she didn't care. Tonight was about her and Thomas and she wasn't going to let some two-timing prom king ruin her life anymore.

Then, as promised, Thomas leaned forward and made out with Meg in front of everyone. Meg smiled as her boyfriend kissed her and the boy who broke her heart was forgotten about.

* * *

><p><strong>Only 6 chapters left...<br>**


	95. Chapter 95

"Stupid prom," Jasmine muttered under her breath as she stormed out of the ballroom.

She walked right out of the hotel and found herself behind the building in a large courtyard. No one else was around and the only sound was the distant bass coming from the hip-hop song playing in the ballroom. There was a cobblestone path leading down to a gazebo near a small stream. Jasmine took off her shoes and walked barefoot across the grass. She knew she wouldn't be alone long; it was nearing midnight and soon everyone would be coming out to release the lanterns.

It was all just so freaking romantic.

When Jasmine reached the stream she saw it was lined with a thin layer of pebbles. She picked one up and threw it as hard as she could into the water. It landed with an unsatisfyingly small splash. She threw another one, but got the same result. This only frustrated her more. But, she couldn't blame the pebbles for why she was upset.

Aladdin stood her up. On prom night.

She waited for him at her house, but he never showed and didn't answer her call. She eventually just drove herself and after she arrived she got a text from him saying he would meet her at prom, but he gave no explanation. But, now prom would be ending soon and there was no sign of Aladdin and she hadn't heard from him since he sent the text.

Jasmine threw another pebble. And another. Trying to let out all of her frustration. But, she couldn't hold it together anymore. Jasmine collapsed to her knees and started crying. Tonight was supposed to be a special and magical night and here she was; alone and crying. She and Aladdin only had one week left together and he stood her up on the most important night. How could he do that?

"Jasmine!"

Jasmine quickly wiped her eyes and turned around. Aladdin was walking towards. Instead of feeling happy or relieved to see him, Jasmine was angry. She got to her feet and stormed over to him.

"What the hell, Aladdin! How could you-"

Aladdin grabbed her and pulled her into a fierce kiss. Jasmine tried to push him away, but he wouldn't let go of her. He held her in a vice grip and kept his mouth pressed against hers. Jasmine eventually gave in and kissed him back. She had no idea what had come over him, but she could tell there was something desperate behind Aladdin's kiss.

When Aladdin finally broke the kiss, he was gasping for air. But, he still didn't let go of Jasmine and he rested his forehead against hers.

"You owe me an explanation," Jasmine told him, a little out of breath herself.

"My dad wants to leave tonight. He said I won't be missing anything during the last week of school and the earlier we get to New York, the better."

Jasmine pulled away. "You're leaving early?" The tears were threatening to come back, but she didn't stop them. "He can't do this!"

Aladdin put his hands on either side of her head and wiped her tears with his thumbs. "I'm so sorry I missed our prom, but I had to talk him out of it. And I did. We're leaving right after school gets out on Friday."

"But you weren't supposed to leave 'till Saturday..."

"My dad wants to get us out of here as soon as possible."

_XXX_

"Are you nervous?"

Rapunzel didn't feel the need to answer Flynn's question. She started fidgeting with her acrylic nails as she paced back and forth in front of the doors that led out to the courtyard. Any second now the doors would open and it would be time for her and Flynn to sing the song she wrote.

"Just relax."

Rapunzel faced Flynn. "_Relax_? How am I supposed to do that, Mugato? I'm about to put myself out there by singing a song I wrote in front of everyone."

"Everyone is going to love it," Flynn assured her. "If anyone has anything to worry about, it's me."

Rapunzel crossed her arms over her chest. "How so?"

"Um... I'm about to sing a ballad in front of every guy in our class," Flynn stated. "But, I'm willing to put myself out there and be embarrassed for you. So, you have to do the same thing."

"I'm not backing out," Rapunzel told him. "I'm just really nervous."

The rest of the students began filing around behind Rapunzel and Flynn as they each got a lantern and waited to go outside to release them. Once everyone had a lantern, Principal Clayton opened the doors and led everyone outside. Rapunzel sat down at the white baby Grand piano and Flynn stood beside her. The piano faced the courtyard and Rapunzel could see everyone taking position and waiting for her to begin the song.

Rapunzel took a deep breath and with shaky hands she began to play the piano. As soon as the music began, little white lights in the trees and even in the grass slowly blinked on; making it feel like they were surrounded by stars. And, one by one, everyone released their lanterns.

_All those days watching from the windows_  
><em> All those years outside looking in<em>  
><em> All that time never even knowing<em>  
><em> Just how blind I've been<em>  
><em> Now I'm here blinking in the starlight<em>  
><em> Now I'm here suddenly I see<em>  
><em> Standing here it's all so clear<em>  
><em> I'm where I'm meant to be<em>

_ And at last I see the light_  
><em> And it's like the fog has lifted<em>  
><em> And at last I see the light<em>  
><em> And it's like the sky is new<em>  
><em> And it's warm and real and bright<em>  
><em> And the world has somehow shifted<em>

_All at once everything looks different_  
><em> Now that I see you<em>

During the instrumental break, everyone took off their masks and began slow dancing to the song. They were all cast in the dim glow of the lanterns and in that moment, nothing else mattered.

_All those days chasing down a daydream_  
><em> All those years living in a blur<em>  
><em> All that time never truly seeing<em>  
><em> Things, the way they were<em>  
><em> Now she's here shining in the starlight<em>  
><em> Now she's here suddenly I know<em>  
><em> If she's here it's crystal clear<em>  
><em> I'm where I'm meant to go<em>

_ And at last I see the light_

_ And it's like the fog has lifted_

_ And at last I see the light_

_ And it's like the sky is new_

_ And it's warm and real and bright_  
><em> And the world has somehow shifted<em>

_All at once everything is different_  
><em> Now that I see you<em>

_ Now that I see you _

It wasn't a momentous moment, but Rapunzel felt happy knowing that she was able to help bring a little magic to everyone's night. When the song ended, Flynn handed Rapunzel a lantern and they released their own bit of magic into the sky.

Flynn gently removed her mask and then his own, before taking Rapunzel's hand and leading her out to the grass to join in the dance.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: When Rapunzel called Flynn "Mugato" it was a reference to Will Ferrell's character in the movie <em>Zoolander<em>.**

**Only 5 chapters left...**


	96. Chapter 96

"We are only a week away from our last summer vacation of high school," Aurora stated as she browsed a rack of clothes. She had convinced Belle to go on another shopping spree for their trip to visit her mom.

"It's hard to believe it's already almost here. So much has happened this semester," Belle agreed. She absently glanced at a rack of clothes and snuck a peak at her cellphone.

Aurora rolled her eyes. "Would you stop checking your phone every two seconds?"

Belle glanced up at her. "What?"

"Adam will text you whenever he gets a chance. He probably slept in after the late night at prom last night," Aurora said.

Belle put her phone back in her purse. "I'm sorry. We might be hanging out tonight and I'm waiting to hear from him so we can make actual plans."

Aurora grabbed a tank top and draped it over her arm. "You're obsessed with him."

"I am not."

Aurora reached over and picked up a pair of shorts off a nearby shelf. She checked the price, then added it to her pile as well. "Why can't you just be here with me for a little bit? I understand you're excited to see him... _again_. But _I'm_ your best friend. I'd like to feel like you actually want to hang out with me as opposed to feeling like you're just using me to kill time before seeing Adam again."

"I'm sorry, Aurora."

Aurora was now flipping through a rack of sun dresses. She made a face when she didn't find one she liked. "Are we actually going to spend time together in No Cal? Or are you planning on spending all of your time alone with Adam?"

"Of course we're going to spend time together, Aurora. What has gotten into you?" Belle asked.

Aurora looked over at her. "I don't know. I guess I just miss you. We don't hang out as much as we used to. And when we _do _hang out, you're always checking your phone to see if Adam has texted you."

"I didn't realize... I'm sorry."

"I forgive you."

_XXX_

"Ariel!"

Ariel flinched when she heard her father's booming voice bellow from downstairs. She didn't have time to respond before she heard him storm upstairs and burst through her bedroom door.

"Your principal just called," Triton snapped. "You got kicked out of prom for _drinking_?!"

When Principal Clayton tried calling her father the night before, he wasn't home; so she managed to get through the night without getting in trouble. But, she knew he had to find out eventually.

"Daddy, I wasn't-"

"I'm so disappointed and angry with you, Ariel! You've always been so smart and responsible. What the hell were you thinking?"

"But-"

"Not only was it stupid, but it was also illegal. You could have been arrested last night, Ariel. Did you even think about that? Is having one night of fun really worth it?"

"I didn't-"

"Of course you didn't think about the consequences! You probably just gave into peer pressure." King Triton's face suddenly became red with anger. "This was that boy's doing, wasn't it? Did Eric force you to drink? What else did he try to convince you to do? Are you even still a virgin?"

"Daddy, stop it!" Ariel shouted. "Eric had nothing to do with this. And, yes, I'm still a virgin. One of the girls at school spiked my drink without my knowing. That's all that happened."

Triton rolled his eyes. "Now, Ariel. You've already been caught; just take responsibility for what you did and stop lying to me."

"I'm not lying!"

"Ariel, you're grounded until further notice."

"That's not fair! I didn't do anything!"

"Not another word, Ariel!" Triton turned to walk out of the room, but came face to face with Andrina who was now standing in the doorway.

"Dad, Ariel is telling the truth. I heard Snow White confess to spiking Ariel's drink to get her in trouble," Andrina told him.

Triton glanced back at Ariel. His expression softened and he sighed. "I'm sorry, Ariel. I should have known you wouldn't have done something like this. I'll talk to your principal and get this whole thing straightened out."

Ariel let out a loud sigh of relief. "Thank you, Daddy."

_XXX_

Belle didn't hear from Adam at all on Saturday. So, after she finished hanging out with Aurora that evening, she set out to find him. She knew there were only so many places she would find him. After looking for him everywhere else, she made her way to his tree house... at least, what was left of it.

Belle carefully walked through the woods until she came to the ruins of the treehouse. She found Adam sitting on a plank of wood beside it, rummaging through the remains.

Adam looked up when he heard Belle approaching. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hi." Belle stopped a couple feet away from him and nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Do you want some company?"

Adam nodded and moved over so she could sit down next to him.

"What are you doing here?" Belle asked.

"I don't know... Just looking around, I guess." Adam tossed a piece of broken wood aside and looked over at Belle. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Looking for you," she stated. "I haven't heard from you today and I was worried something might be wrong."

Adam shook his head. "I'm fine. I just needed some time to think."

"Oh. Am I intruding? Do you want me to go?"

Adam reached out and took her hand. "Of course not."

Belle moved a little closer to her boyfriend. "So, what were you thinking about?"

Adam shrugged. "Everything that's happened this semester. How I've let you down and-"

"Stop. You haven't let me down," Belle interrupted. "Ya know, the best thing about this year coming to an end is that next year is an all new beginning. A chance to start over and forget everything that happened this year."

"I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I can't forget what I've done. I mean, I shoved you to the ground, Belle."

"Yes, you did. But I know you won't do something like that again. You're a different boy now than you used to be."

* * *

><p><strong>Only 4 chapters left...<strong>


	97. Chapter 97

It was the last Monday of the school year- finally! It was the day Principal Clayton assigned for everyone to clean out their lockers. The excitement in the hallways was literally audible. The large garbage cans set up in the middle of the halls were already filled with old assignments and failed tests everyone would rather forget about... not to mention forgotten lunches from two months ago.

Rapunzel's locker was no less messy. She pulled crumpled papers out by the handful and tossed them in the garbage without a second look. As her locker slowly got cleared out and she neared the bottom, she found a library book on Georgia O'Keeffe that she had checked out at the beginning of the semester. The book was covered with paint brushes. She shoved the brushes into her pencil box and picked up the book. To her horror, the back cover was covered in crusted purple paint from a jar that had spilled in the bottom of her locker. By the looks of it, it had happened a while ago.

Rapunzel let out a groan and stuck the book in her backpack. She'd deal with that later.

"Hey, Rapunzel!" Giselle greeted, walking over to Rapunzel's locker.

"Um... hi." She hadn't really talked to anyone on the cheerleading squad since Helga kicked her off.

"I just wanted to let you know that you sounded great Saturday night. I had no idea you could sing and play that well."

Rapunzel blushed and awkwardly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Thanks."

"Are you guys talking about the song played at prom?" Tink asked, throwing away an armful of papers in the nearby trash can.

"Yeah," Giselle replied. "I was just telling Rapunzel that I thought she sounded good."

"I loved your song," Tink said, joining them. "I was actually talking about it with Cinderella and Snow yesterday. It was definitely a hit."

"Really?" Rapunzel couldn't help feeling proud. "Well, thank you so much. That means a lot."

"You should totally be a singer," Giselle told her. "You could be, like, the next Sara Bareilles or something."

Rapunzel smiled at her. "Thanks. I'll definitely think about it."

_XXX_

Pocahontas stared discouragingly at her locker. She had tried her best to keep it organized, but since she had been sharing it with John, that had been pretty much impossible. It wasn't that John was messy by any means, it was just that since he was always in a hurry to get to class, he he just shoved everything in there haphazardly. She sighed and started pulling out loose papers.

"How's it goin' over here?" John asked, joining her.

Pocahontas arched an eyebrow at him. "I just pulled out a math test with a wad of gum stuck to it."

John made a face. "Sorry. That was from a few weeks ago. I have Mrs. Radcliffe right after lunch and you know how she is about chewing gum in class... I was in a hurry to get rid of the gum."

Pocahontas nodded knowingly, but didn't say anything as she continued cleaning out her locker.

John leaned against the locker next to hers. "Is everything all right? You've barely spoken to me since Saturday night. Did I do something wrong when we were at prom?"

Pocahontas shook her head. "Of course not."

"What is it, then?" John asked. "Did you get in trouble for sneaking out?"

"Yes, actually; I did."

John frowned. "That sucks. How long are you grounded for?"

Pocahontas avoided eye contact with John. "Forever."

John let out a small laugh. "Oh, come on. It can't be _that _bad. How long is it really? A month?"

"Longer."

"Two months?"

Pocahontas shook her head.

"All summer?"

Pocahontas sighed and slammed her locker shut. "My father is really angry at me for disobeying him. He's making me move to Virginia and live with him."

"He can't do that! What about us?"

"I don't think there's going to be an _us_, John. Long distance never works. Especially in high school."

"So, that's it? You're just breaking up with me?"

"We still have the rest of the week together. And we can still be friends."

"Why can't you stay here to finish high school?"

"My dad wants to keep an eye on me and have more authority over me. He can't do that if I'm on the other side of the country."

"Can't your aunt convince him that you should finish school here?"

"I'm leaving and there's nothing we can do about, John!" Pocahontas snapped. She felt tears burning the back of her eyes and she hurried away before John could see her cry.

_XXX_

As soon as Esmeralda was done cleaning her locker, she headed towards Jasmine's and Phoebus'. Fortunately, their lockers were close to each other. Phoebus had one of the garbage cans in front of his locker and was in the process of just swooping all of his locker's content into the garbage. Jasmine's locker was completely cleaned out, with the exception of a picture of her and Aladdin that still hung on the inside of the door. She was staring at it longingly.

Esmeralda walked over to Jasmine's locker. "I have some great news that's going to make your summer super awesome."

Jasmine looked at her, hopefully. "Aladdin isn't moving?"

Esmeralda frowned. "How would I know something like that before you?"

Jasmine shrugged. "Just wishful thinking, I guess."

Esmeralda shook her head head, then called across the hall to Phoebus, "Phoebus, come here! I have something I need to talk to you guys about."

Phoebus finished scooping everything into the trash, then closed his now empty locker and headed over to them. "What's up, babe?"

Esmeralda let out a small squeal of excitement, but then immediately felt silly. "I have awesome news!"

Jasmine couldn't help getting caught up. "Well? What is it?"

"_The _Tzipporah has hired me to star in music videos and I'm going to New York for the summer."

Jasmine glared at her best friend. "_You're _going to New York, too? That is _not _awesome news, Esmeralda! I mean, I'm happy for you and this opportunity is great. But, how is you _and _Aladdin being gone supposed to make my summer 'super awesome'?"

"I agree with Jaz on this one," Phoebus said. "I'm happy for you, but I don't want you to leave."

"I completely agree with you guys," Esmeralda agreed. "That's why I was thinking... maybe you two can come with me. Jasmine, I know you can afford it and think of how fun it would be. Not to mention you'd get more time with Aladdin. Imagine his face when you show up in New York and surprise him! Say yes, you guys."

"I'm in!" Jasmine announced. "One hundred percent!"

"I can't afford to spend an entire summer in New York, Essie," Phoebus told her.

Esmeralda gave Jasmine a pleading look.

Jasmine nodded. "I'll pay for you, Phoebus. I'm gonna need someone to hang out with while Esmeralda and Aladdin are working."

"Jasmine, you don't have to do that," Phoebus interjected. "I can never pay you back."

"Forget it. It's done, Phoebus," Jasmine told him. "We're all going to New York!"

* * *

><p><em>Yes... Pocahontas will not be returning as a main character in the sequel. She may have cameos, but trying to come up with 8 different storylines for a sequel was just a little too much for me. I apologize to those who were looking forward to seeing her. However, John will still be in it.<em>

**Final 3 chapters coming soon...**


	98. Chapter 98

Somehow after school on Thursday, Meg found herself hanging out with Hades. It hadn't been intentional. He was standing in his usual spot across the street from the school, smoking. Thomas told Meg he was going to pick her up in that same spot, so she had no choice but to wait with Hades.

"How are things with Gothel?" Meg asked him after a long awkward silence.

Hades shrugged. "I broke up with her last night. I need to be single over the summer."

Meg raised her eyebrow. "Single for what? How many girls could possibly want-" she motioned at him "-_that_?"

Hades let her comment roll off him. "Don't worry about it, babe. You just concentrate on that boy you're dating."

"Whatever."

They didn't say anything else to each other. A couple minutes later, Thomas pulled up and Meg got in the car.

"Can you believe tomorrow is the last day of school?" Meg asked him.

Thomas shook his head, but didn't say anything.

"Ya know, after hearing Rapunzel play at the prom, I honestly think she's going to be a good addition to mine and Vanessa's band. She and I may actually become friends after all. So, we all may be able to hang out together this summer. Just like you wanted."

Thomas glanced at Meg briefly, then turned his attention back to the road. "Meg, I want to talk to you about this summer."

"Sure. What is it?"

"I'm doing an internship at my dad's company, so I'm not going to be here this summer."

Meg frowned. "That's a bummer. I'm totally going to miss you. I was really looking forward to hanging out with you."

"Yeah."

Meg bit her lip. "But at least it's only for the summer. We'll still have all of senior year together."

Thomas pulled up in front of Meg's house and turned off the car. He turned in his seat to look at her. "Meg, I've thought about this for a long time..."

Meg's heart fell. "No. Thomas, no; don't do this. It's only for a summer. We can do long distance for just a couple months."

"It's not about the long distance. I'm gonna be halfway across the country and I don't want to be worrying about you and Hercules the whole time."

Meg had to seriously fight the urge to slap Thomas. She was _so _sick of people making accusations about her feelings for Hercules. "There's nothing to worry about, Thomas. You know I can't stand him."

"I think you need the summer to have the chance to really find out for sure. Helga will be out of the picture then. Things might be different."

Meg let out a frustrated growl and slammed the heel of her hand against his dash. "This is bullshit! Thomas, please don't do this. I don't need the summer to figure out my feelings for Hercules. Helga or no Helga- I hate him! He cheated on me and then lied to try to break us up. He's a jerk."

"I'm sorry, Meg." Thomas started the car. "I'll see you later."

Meg stared at him for a moment, but finally got out his car- slamming the door behind her.

_XXX_

Jasmine was a wreck Thursday night. It was the last night she was going to see Aladdin. True, she would be visiting him in New York, but she wouldn't be getting there until a few weeks after him. A lot could happen in a few weeks with him hanging out with his ex-girlfriend. She wanted to tell him her plan, but Esmeralda insisted she should surprise him- just in case he really was messing around, then she would catch him. Jasmine didn't like that idea, it sounded sneaky and untrusting, but Esmeralda assured her it was the best thing to do.

So, now Aladdin was coming over to her house for their last night together before he leaves tomorrow. When the doorbell rang, Jasmine's heart fluttered and she hurried downstairs to answer. She swung open the door and before Aladdin could even get inside, she jumped on him and kissed him. Aladdin held onto her tightly. He stepped inside, closed the door behind them, and then pushed her up against it. Jasmine let out a small gasp of surprise, but didn't break the kiss.

Aladdin eventually put Jasmine back on her feet. She smiled at him and bit her lip.

"What's gotten into you?" she asked. "_Not _that I'm complaining."

"I've been thinking a lot about what you said and I think you're right."

"About what?"

Aladdin brushed her hair off her face and bent close to her. He kissed her cheek, then whispered. "I want to make love to you before I leave."

"Oh," Jasmine breathed. She recompose herself and stepped away from him. "Wait. Are you serious?"

"Yes." He kissed her again and she sighed.

Aladdin picked her up without breaking the kiss and she wrapped her legs around him. He brought her to the couch and sat down. She was now straddling him and he pulled her closer. His hands slid under her shirt and he slowly pulled it off. Jasmine suddenly felt very self conscious. She crossed her arms in front of herself. Aladdin took Jasmine's hands and moved her arms.

"You're so beautiful," he told her. He sat forward and kissed her shoulder.

"Are you sure about this?" Jasmine asked him. "You seemed so against it before."

"I didn't want you to regret doing this. But, I love you and I want to do this." Aladdin kissed her again. "Do you still want to do this?"

"Yes- Wait. Have you done this before?"

"Honestly?"

Jasmine nodded.

"No."

"Really?"

"Yeah... I told my friends I slept with Sadira, but I lied."

Jasmine put her finger on his lips. "Never mind. I don't want to know."

Aladdin nodded. He repositioned his body and laid Jasmine down. He kissed her neck and then gently nibbled her ear. "Make love to me."

"Yes," Jasmine whispered.

* * *

><p><strong>Only 2 chapters left...<br>**


	99. Chapter 99

The morning of the last day of school, and her last day in Andalasia, Pocahontas went to John's house. There was one thing she had been putting off for a while that she knew had to be done now.

"It's time," John told her as they stood in his backyard.

Pocahontas nodded and opened the shed door. Meeko slowly walked outside and sat down by her feet. She picked him up and she followed John to his car. They rode to the woods in silence. Once there, Pocahontas had to use all of her strength to force herself out of the car. They walked out to the willow tree and then Pocahontas knelt beside it and set Meeko down.

"You have to stay here, Meeko," she told him. "You belong in the wild."

Meeko sniffed around and slowly started wandering further away from them.

"I guess this is what today is all about," Pocahontas said to John. "Letting go and saying goodbye."

John stood awkwardly next to her. "We're all gonna be fine."

Pocahontas nodded as she watched Meeko disappear into the woods. "I know we will."

They stood there for a couple more minutes before John finally said, "Come on. We should get to school."

"I'm going to apply to Andalasia University," Pocahontas told him when they got back to the car. "That way I can come back when I graduate."

"You don't have to do that," John said. "You don't know what your life is going to be like in a year."

Pocahontas sighed. "No I don't. I guess none of us do."

_XXX_

"Are you sure about this?" Ariel asked. "Won't we get in trouble."

Eric laughed as lowered the roof of his convertible. "I doubt it. It's the last day of school. Who's even going to notice?"

"Principal Clayton. I'm already on his radar with that whole drinking at prom thing."

Eric reached over and took her hand. He brought it up to his lips and kissed it. "Relax, babe. We'll be fine."

Ariel nervously bit her lip, but nodded and didn't argue with him. Eric had called her earlier that morning and suggested they ditch the last day of school and go to the beach instead. Ariel agreed without really thinking it through. But now that they were actually doing it, she was super nervous about starting senior year off with detention.

But as soon as they got to the beach and she was in the water with Eric, she completely forgot all about her worries. There was no one else there and Ariel felt like she and Eric were alone on a secluded island without a care in the world.

"This is the perfect way to kick off the summer," Ariel said, swimming towards her boyfriend.

Eric grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. "Something tells me this is going to be the best summer ever."

Ariel smiled at him. "Something tells me the same thing. What do you think it is?"

"This." Eric wrapped his arms around her and held her body tightly against his. He then bent his head forward and kissed her.

_XXX_

"I love yearbook signing day," Aurora swooned to Philip as she watched Pocahontas scribble her signature out next to her picture. "My goal is to get all of the juniors' signatures."

Philip nodded as he signed John Smith's yearbook. "I guess. It's kind of a silly tradition if you ask me."

Aurora spotted Aladdin and waved him over. "Aladdin, you have to sign my yearbook before you leave!" she called out to him. While he and Jasmine made their way over to her, Aurora turned her attention back to Philip. "It's not silly. We're preserving memories." She handed her yearbook to Aladdin. "When we get older, we're gonna want to look back and remember all the good times and the friends we had."

"I agree," Jasmine said, flipping to her picture in Aurora's yearbook. "Everything changes after high school. I mean the likeliness of any of us seeing each other again isn't very good." She signed her name, then gave the book back to Aurora. Aurora finished signing Jasmine's book, then handed it to her. "Well, take care, guys. I wanna have a little bit of alone time with Aladdin before he leaves."

"Of course," Aurora said.

Philip put his arm around Aurora. "I'm glad we're not going to be separated senior year like they will be. Everyone knows long distance relationships in high school don't last."

Aurora nodded. "Yeah. But, at least we don't have to worry about anything. Senior year is going to be perfect for us."

_XXX_

Esmeralda and Phoebus had absolutely no interest in partaking in the last day activities. As soon as they got the chance, they disappeared and locked themselves in one of the janitors' closets.

Phoebus nuzzled against her neck. "Once you become famous, will you remember the little people?"

Esmeralda laughed; partly because of his question and partly because of the slight tickle from him nuzzling her. "Some of them," she replied.

"Would that include me?"

"Of course. How could I forget you?"

Phoebus looked down at her with an arched brow. "You _did _forget about me-"

Esmeralda shook her head. "No. I forgot I slept with you. I didn't forget about _you_." She pointed at him for emphasis.

"Fair enough."

Esmeralda shrugged, then wrapped her arms around his neck. "Besides. You stuck by me in my worst moments. No matter what, I'll never forget that."

Phoebus smiled at her and kissed the tip of her nose. "I'm so proud of you, Essie. And everything you overcame and accomplished. You're tougher than most people give you credit for."

"It was hard," Esmeralda admitted. "And I couldn't have done it without you, Jasmine and Mulan." She paused to smile back at him. "So, thank you."

* * *

><p><strong>Hey, everyone. Only one chapter left. So, in the meantime I'd like to request a story for you to read to hold you over. It's a new high school story written by my friend, Rainbow and Arrow, called "Racing Against the Comets". Please check it out. Thanks, you guys. :)<strong>


	100. Chapter 100

"Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road  
>Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go.<br>So make the best of this test, and don't ask why  
>It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time<p>

It's something unpredictable, but in the end that's right,  
>I hope you had the time of your life.<p>

So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind  
>Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time<br>Tattoos and memories and dead skin on trial  
>Through what it's worth it was worth all the while<p>

It's something unpredictable, but in the end that's right,  
>I hope you had the time of your life."<br>**-Green Day, _Good Riddance_**

* * *

><p>The last day of school was coming to an end. Yearbooks were signed, summer vacation plans made and the promise of an awesome summer and even better senior year hung over everybody. Especially Belle and Adam.<p>

"The end of the school year is finally here," Adam muttered in relief as he and Belle sat in the library.

"I know," Belle agreed. "Three years down and only one left to go."

Adam reached across the table and took Belle's hands in his. "I was lucky to get you as my tutor and even luckier that you agreed to go out with me."

Belle blushed. "I think we both got lucky."

Adam smiled at her, which made her hear flutter. He then reached into his pocket. "Belle, I love you."

"I love you, too."

"As we saw this semester, a lot can happen in one year and things change. But, I want you to know that no matter what happens senior year, I promise I will always love you and want only you. I want to give this to you as a symbol of that promise." Adam slipped his class ring onto Belle's finger, though it was too big for her.

Belle gave him a teary smile. "Oh, Adam. This is the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me." She leaned across the table and kissed him. "I promise I'll always love you and only you, no matter what."

"Even if Aurora and your dad try to break us up again?"

"Even if the whole school tries to break us up."

_XXX_

"We're gonna have practice five times a week until we get all of the songs down," Meg told Rapunzel, handing her a printed list of cover songs. "If there are any songs you want to add, you must bring the list to our first practice tomorrow."

Rapunzel took the list from Meg. "Tomorrow? I can't tomorrow, Meg. I'm taking Thomas to the airport."

Meg rolled her eyes and put her hand on her hip. "If we don't have a list of songs you want to play by tomorrow, you won't get any say in the final song selection."

Rapunzel nodded. "I can email it to you tonight."

"Whatever," Meg scoffed before walking away.

Rapunzel felt bad for her. Thomas had come over to her house last night after he broke up with Meg. He was pretty bummed out about it, but he was convinced it was the best thing to do. It seemed Meg was also upset about the break up, but she was dealing with it in her own way; by being hostile towards everyone. She was back to being the same Meg she had been right after her break up with Hercules.

"Rapunzel! There you are!" Charlotte called out as she made her way across the courtyard.

"Hey, Lottie. What's up?"

"I have good news."

Rapunzel smiled at her friend. "Let me guess: you heard about the huge summer sale at De Vil's this weekend?"

Charlotte's eyes lit up. "What!? How do you know about that and I don't?"

"I'm sorta, kind of friends-ish with Esmeralda and she told me."

Charlotte pulled out her smart phone and made a note to herself about the sale. She then dropped her phone back into her oversized purse. "Anyways, that's not my good news."

"Oh. Then what's your good news?"

Charlotte beamed at Rapunzel and grabbed her hands in excitement. "Helga named me head cheerleader for next year and I'm putting you back on the squad!"

_XXX_

"I guess this is it," Aladdin said as he and Jasmine sat on the hood of her car in the school parking lot.

Jasmine nodded. She had volunteered to take Aladdin to the airport after school so she could spend a little more time with him. His suitcase was in the backseat of the car, looming over them like the darkest of clouds. It was clear Aladdin was torn up about them being apart and Jasmine wanted so badly to tell him she would be there in a couple weeks and they would be spending the summer together, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt Esmeralda was right about surprising him in case there was something going on between him and Sadira.

Instead Jasmine said, "I'm sure we can work it out so we can visit each other sometime."

"I hope so."

Jasmine took his hand and rested her head on his shoulder. "It's gonna be fine, Aladdin. _We're_ gonna be fine. I know it."

Aladdin kissed her forehead. "You're right."

She smiled. "Of course I am. This next year is gonna go by like nothing and before you know it we'll be back together."

Aladdin cupped his hand around her face and lifted her head to his. "God, I love you." Jasmine kissed him in response. "Ya know," Aladdin said. "We still have some time before I have to be at the airport…" He winked at her.

Jasmine gave him a sly smile. "You wanna go back to my house for a little bit?"

"Definitely."

_XXX_

After talking to Rapunzel and Jim about band practice and song lists, Meg was ready to get out of this damned school. While everyone else was cheerfully talking about summer vacation all Meg could do was replay her conversation with Thomas from the night before in her head. It was on a constant loop and she couldn't ignore it, no matter how hard she tried. Where did Thomas get off breaking up with her for such an insane reason?

But, whatever. If Thomas wanted to play like that, fine. She had absolutely no interest in dating Hercules again, like Thomas accused, but that didn't mean she couldn't date other guys over the summer. What was stopping her?

Even though it was a rhetorical question, her answer came as she crossed the parking lot and saw Hercules with John and Rapunzel. Rapunzel was talking rapidly and was clearly over excited about something. Thomas was smiling at her.

_Damn him, _Meg thought. _Damn him and his stupid cute face and perfect smile._

Evidently it would be harder to get over him than she thought. But she sure as hell was going to try.

"I heard your boy toy broke up with you."

Meg stopped dead in her tracks and turned to see Helga leaning against a nearby car. She had her arms crossed over her chest and a smug smirk on her face.

"Today is the last day of school, Helga. You no longer have any power over me or anyone else. Next year you'll be gone and forgotten."

Helga smiled as she pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head. "_That's _where you're wrong. See, I know all about what you did to betray your so-called best friend, Vanessa. You can't get rid of me that easily, Megara. This isn't over."

"You know what, Helga? This _is _over." With that, Meg punched her in the face and left the school.

**THE END.**

* * *

><p>This is it, guys. I can't believe I finally finished this. Thank you all sooooooooo much for the following, reviews and support for this story. Like, I said: there will be a sequel. In the meantime, please check out my friend, Rainbow and Arrow's, high school story <em>Racing Against the Comets <em>and my own story _The Orphan Girl. _

Much Much Love,  
>Meg Rider<p> 


	101. Chapter 101

The first chapter of the sequel to Andalasia High School has been posted. Check it out! 


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